Leave Me Wanting More
by Siobhan B. Masen- Fraser
Summary: Edward and Bella meet while on vacation at the end of the world. A fling, some fun, nothing serious is what they plan to enjoy. But a little is never enough, at least that's what Bella feels. Can they find their way back to each other in the real world? Edward/Bella, Carlisle/Esme. Rated M for lemons, language, and situations.
1. Chapter 1 Vacation

**Well hello! It feels like its been forever and it probably has been. I stepped away for awhile but the bug to write never quite left me. In the meantime, my second favorite obsession took over my brain, Baseball. So it seems only natural that when I stepped back in to write, I would combine the two. Here's my take on a Sweet, Southern, Baseball playing Edward. Edward/Bella, with a mix of some Carlisle/Esme action cause my BFF wants them. Rated M for Mature cause they are grown assed folks, I don't own them, I just dress them up in baseball uni"s and parade them around. Playlist at the bottom!**

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**Chapter One~Vacation **

**Carlisle -**

**"_Help me, it's like the walls are caving in, sometimes I feel like giving up, but I just can't, it isn't in my blood." In My Blood- Shawn Mendes_**

Most days I'm fine, my kids keep me going. Then every so often I remember that it's just me against the world. There's no partner, no co-juggler of the kids, no one. Me, I'm all I've got. Don't get me wrong, my parents are amazing, my team mates are supportive, and I have some great friends. But at the end of the day when you're laying in bed and trying to work through a tough situation, there's no one there to listen to me talk it out. No one to offer advice or to frankly tell me to get the fuck over myself.

I want that, more than anything else in the world right now. I had it for quite a few years and now that it's gone...the silence is deafening. My soul feels like a part of me is missing and no matter how hard I look, I can't find it. I have phantom partner syndrome. Maybe the old saying, 'we always want what we can't have' is true.

Maybe it's just sex that I want. A really hard fuck would probably solve a lot of my issues, but if I'm honest that won't solve all of them. Nor would going on a bender and getting rip roaring drunk. What would that do? My problems would still be here tomorrow and then I'll have to deal with them and a hangover. That has never been my style and it's certainly not going to start now.

I'm not asking for much. I swear I'm not. It's the simple things that I crave.

I want to lay in bed on a cold morning and cuddle. I want to watch the kids open Christmas gifts and catch each other's eyes, smiling like fools because we both know what's in the box and know without a doubt they are going to love it. It's a coffee run where you don't even ask their order because you just know. You know the exact meal they want on special occasions. You know the dates on a calendar that will make them smile and the the ones that will make them cry. It's all the small minute details that make up the life you share with someone.

I can see now how spoiled I was, my home life, my marriage, and my career was perfect. Why didn't I see this and say thank you more often for my blessing before now? Why does it take a earthquake to shake your foundation to its core and leave you reeling in the destruction and aftermath?

My only ray of hope are the kids. The kids are young enough to move on with life, they don't seem to be shaken to the core like I am, thank God. I'm pretty sure I can cope if I know they are okay. They're with my parents in a Florida, swimming and doing all the fun activities that I'd usually take them to do in my off season.

But not this year, this year I'm sitting here in a dark, stinky house while I pray that no one comes by to see me. I don't want to acknowledge all the classic signs of depression, nor do I want to explain them.

I can't lie, I've thought about giving up. I've thought about just letting it all go, living off the grid. I would worry about no one, but that isn't me. I'd never be happy doing that. I'm a thinker, a problem solver, I take charge and lead.

To walk away would be quitting, and I don't quit. I won't quit baseball, a game I love that pays me damn good. I won't quit my kids and leave them to be raised by my parents. And I won't quit myself. I deserve better.

So I sit here and hope that tomorrow is better. Hope that at 29 years old, I can start all over again, hope I can work through this and make it out on the other side in one piece. And above all, I hope and pray that my funk is gone before it's time for Spring Training. I need a clear head for baseball, that's for sure.

My phone rings, I see Edward's name. All of my team mates are awesome, but there's something different about the relationship Edward and I have. He and I are so similar, yet so different. We both have the same laser sharp focus and dedication, but he finds a way to mix that with his small town southern charm. He's always having a good time, me, we'll, let's just say that I'm not as free of a spirit as he is. There's just something in me that has a hard time letting loose. Maybe I'm worried about what people will say, maybe I'm worried that I'll go too far. I don't know, I shut down the thoughts before I have a chance to really evaluate them.

"Hey. What's up?" My voice is casual and calm.

"Dude, you still haven't answered me about The Maldives. Come on and go with us. Emmett is stoked and we could all use some sun and relaxation." I open my mouth to object but he stops me. "I've already talked to your mom, I know the kids are gone. Dude, I'm worried. For real." This small revelation stabs me in my heart for several different reasons. First that he cares enough to worry, secondly that he knows me well enough to know I'm not okay even though I swear I am. "I can't even imagine what you're going through but hiding only isolates yourself and makes it worse. I'm not saying hook with anyone but at least go. Get out in the sun, relax, enjoy yourself. Come back home stronger, for your kids if for nothing else."

I run a hand through my long hair, I wish I could argue with him but I just can't. If I lose my shit then who raises my kids?

"Okay." It's barely spoken above a whisper. It's defeat and acceptance all in one word. It's rebirth. I'm moving on with my life, no matter how hard that is, and I'm starting today.

**Esme-**

**"_I'm a whole lotta woman, from the way I walk and toss my hips. I'm a whole lotta woman, from the sound of my voice to the gloss on my lips. I'm a whole lotta woman, anything I see I want, I get. I'm a whole lotta woman, I'm a strong bad ass chick with class and confidence, yeah." Whole Lotta Woman- Kelly Clarkson_**

All my life I've had confidence. My parents raised me to believe that I can accomplish any feat as long as I go into it with a determined attitude and a willingness to work hard to achieve it. And so far that has worked out for me.

I paid my way through Cosmetology school, and earned a Business degree at night while I cut hair all day. Now I've saved and purchased my share of one of the busiest salons in Vancouver. I have achieved all my professional goals, now it's time to work on my personal goals.

When I was a little girl and played in my room, I had two main themes. Fixing my dolls hair and taking care of my babies. I had the whole set up, bottles, beds, blankets, car seats, strollers, all the accoutrements that go along with a baby. See, I'm a born mother, I always have been. All the girls came to me in high school for advice, it's true even now, a hair dresser is a psychologist for most women since we don't go and drink at a bar like men do. I should have double majored in business and psychology, that's for sure.

My childhood is long behind me, but that's okay because now that I'm old enough, I want my own child. I want all the good and bad that goes along with children. A house full even, I don't care, I certainly have enough love to go around. I'm trying not to obsess over it, but I'm only a few steps shy of obsession. My arms ache for a child to hold, love and nurture.

My biggest hurdle is that I have certain other stipulations that go along with having a child. I don't want to go for IVF. I want a husband, white picket fence, and the dog in the yard. A lot to ask for, I know, but it's my dream so I'm going to keep going until I have it all. I want what my parents had, the life I was raised in and I want to pass all that down to my kids. Love, acceptance, confidence, nurturing, and respect.

I drop down on the bed and take a deep breath.

'I can do this. I can do this. I can!' I chat to myself, as my eyes tear up. This is my most personal goal and this is the one that will crush me if I don't achieve it.

I wipe the tears away, and grab my phone. I play my Badass Women playlist. The first song that queues up is Whole Lotta Woman by Kelly Clarkson. She's got it exactly right, I'm a whole lotta woman with a whole lot to offer. I will find a man who wants what I want and can give it to me. Good men are still out there!

Now, let's go on vacation, have a good damn time and then come home and achieve our goals!

**Edward-**

**"_Yeah, I'm Her sure thing, I'm her go to, I'm her Rockstar, she ain't ever gonna lose. Small town boy like me, I'm her ride or die baby, I'm her cool, I'm her crazy. I'm so with you till the end girl." Small Town Boy- Dustin Lynch_**

"Carlisle, I know you're fucking in there. Either open up or Emmett will break into the garage and use the key you hide." My threat works, I hear him stomping to the door.

"I'm not sure why the two of you think this is a good idea. I don't want to go, I don't need to go, right now is not the time for this." Emmett sighs behind me. Apparently I left Carlisle alone for too long. Last night when I called, he was okay with going. He's dipping back and forth between stages of grief, obviously.

"I told you he wouldn't want to go, Ed." Emmett says. "We can't really force him, that's not cool." I turn and face Emmett, I need him to be Team Edward here, otherwise I will never convince Carlisle he needs to go with us.

'Emmett, it's cool. He wants to go, he just doesn't know he wants to go." I pat his chest and turn to see Carlisle standing right in front of me. His lips pursed, he may not want to go after all, but he NEEDS to go.

"Standing right here, Asshole. And no _he_ doesn't want or need to go." I push past and enter Carlisle's house. It smells like burn toast and sweat socks.

The kids aren't here, I know that his parents have picked them up and took them to Florida with them. It's perfect, no obstacles. I've got this, Carlisle is so going.

We all need this, we have had a spectacular season. Emmett went to the All Stars and won a Golden Glove. Carlisle played his best season so far, multiple home runs and amazing defensive plays while filling in for me and several other players this year. And I didn't have a great ending batting average but defensively I was on my game. Only missing games for a few minor injuries. The whole team clicked, and we did what the critics said it would take us four to five years to do, we played post season baseball. We deserve a break and some fun. It's time to celebrate this year and plan for next year. I focus on my team mate again.

"Carlisle, this house is a wreck and the blinds are all closed. Food and garbage is everywhere. And you, you smell like Camembert cheese." Carlisle's eyebrows raise at my cheese reference. "Dude, don't ask, I was stuck at a sorority tea at Georgia Tech one time. It was there and it stunk." Emmett snickers a little. "You go shower and we'll pack for you." I push his shoulders and there seems to be just a little less fight in him.

"I got you, Carlisle, you will look fresh for the ladies." I hear Emmett slapping his hand to his chest.

"What about the kids?" He asks.

"I'll call your mom and let her know you're going with us, she'll keep them." Emmett tilts his chin up and smiles, with that single gesture he signals to Carlisle that his excuses are not going to fly with us, I knew he was gonna be a great wingman.

"You know we always have a good time." Emmett rasps.

"Fine, I'll go." Emmett and I fist pump. Carlisle points a single finger at me. "But you pack for me, not him. I don't want all silk shirts, those things are a bitch in hot weather." Carlisle has a point.

"Got it, no silk. SHOWER!" I shove him towards the bathroom and I move to his closet.

"You two don't know hot, Louisiana is always hot." I just nod at Emmett and mentally plan Carlisle's wardrobe.

We can't deck out in Braves gear or we'll look suspicious. We agreed we were trying to fly under the radar here and three grown men dressed alike will most certainly not fly under the radar.

Only thirty minutes later we are packed and in the car on the way to the airport. This trip is gonna rock.

I take the time while we're in the car on the way to the airport to text my momma.

**Hey, on my way to the airport now. Thanks for keeping Sugar, she will be so much happier with you and dad then boarded. One day I'm going to send you and Dad on vacation. You both deserve it. **

It only takes a few minutes for her to respond, she must be on her planning period now. I can't ever keep track, it changes each school year.

_**Please be careful, have fun. Send my love to Carlisle and Emmett. **_

My momma is a momma no matter what your last name is. She takes everyone under her wing and protects us all. I love her more than I can say. I hope I'm half the parent her and Dad were to me. One day, not today, but one day I definitely want kids. I'm having too much fun with Tyler, my nephew, and all three of Carlisle's kids. Plus I still get to have time for my off season activities.

I've seriously got it made. I almost feel like I have more than I deserve most days. That's why I make sure to give back with my charity and to work hard for what I have.

I watch Carlisle cope with his recent turn of events, and know he had a real true love. Part of me thinks it was worth it to have loved and all, but there is a small part that says was it really worth it when it ended up in heartbreak? I guess this is where we have to trust God that He knows better than we do and accept what is put in our path. Good or bad. So far that has been easy for me since I've been blessed with mostly good. I can only pray that continues for quite a long time.

Our car stops at the drop off area of the airport and I step out. It's time to get vacation started.

**Bella-**

**"_Little Miss brand new start, Little Miss do your part, Little Miss big ol' heart beats wide open, She's ready now for love. It's alright, it's alright, it's alright, Yeah sometimes you gotta lose till you win. It'll be alright again. You are loved, Are loved." Little Miss- Sugarland_**

Looking back it seems like this moment came all at once, but it took a lifetime to arrive. Today, I will step onto a plane, and really take another step into adulthood.

Into freedom.

Into my plans.

On my time.

In my way.

"Bitch, you ready to go or not?" Esme bellows as she bursts through my front door.

Esme, is my best friend, my Ride or Die. No strike that, she asks too many questions and wants to make too many stops to be Ride or Die. Esme is complicated, yet simple, she's loyal, she's thoughtful, she's just...Esme. And as hard as it is to imagine, she completes me. I never thought I'd say that a woman completes my life but she does. Now, don't get me wrong, I love men. I wanna sex 'em up and down, but as of now, I've never met a man who got me the way Esme does. So we stick together and help each other out.

"You know I am. I'm just...". I stop, Can I really do this?

I've been this way all my life, a complex amalgamation of assured and scared as hell. I'm the oldest child so I want to set a good example, yet deep inside I have the same amount of insecurities. This is where Esme works her magic. She's definitely self assured, she's originally from Texas. All of her momma's family is, so they have that I-don't-give-a-shit attitude mixed with Southern charm. She is never doubtful, and she keeps me from being that way, mostly.

"No, now look at me. You are packed and the trip is paid for. We are going to have an amazing time. We," she gestures back and forth between us with two fingers held up. "We need this!"

"I know, it's just. I've never left them before." I can't help but worry about my mom and siblings.

"Bella, they're fine. Your mom is married now, she has a husband and it's now his job to take care of them. Not yours, okay?" Esme should be frustrated with me, but she never is. She always knows the right things to say, the best way to soothe my fears and assure me I'm going to be fine.

And once again, she's right, it's Phil's job now. My Mom is married and someone else's responsibility. I'm no longer the extra parent because my Dad is gone and my Mom works two jobs to feed us and keep the lights on! I no longer have to worry about school because I'm all done with classes. I'm an adult and I'm about to enjoy an adult vacation! My job for the next three weeks is to just hang out and enjoy my life.

"Fine, lets go." I give a small shriek. "Maldives here we come!"

The flight is not going to be an easy one, it will be 24 hours, but it will all be worth it to be on vacation for three weeks with my best girl. We specifically chose to not schedule more than one activity per day so we could relax. Both of us desperately need it.

Esme because she has been working more than 60 hours per week at the salon. Her boss came to her about four months ago and told her that his partner was terminally ill. The partner wanted to be bought out of the half of the salon that she owns. Esme's boss can't afford to own the salon outright and wanted to know if Esme wanted to buy in. Obviously it was an opportunity she couldn't pass up, so she worked hard and saved every single dime she could to make the dream happen.

This timing was seemingly perfect, because Esme is a few years older than I am and she's at a point where she's ready to start a family. With her career and financial concerns in order, now she can focus on her family dreams.

Me, I just handed over my family. My mom remarried about a year ago. Her new husband has never had kids so he is more than ready to take on my siblings along with my mom. It is hard for me to give them up, because in a sense I was their second parent for so many years, but I trust Mom and Phil to do a good job.

So I'm tackling my life. Since I just finished all my college classes, and I have my job at Children's Advocacy Group of Vancouver, I decided now was the time to move out into my own apartment.

The transition was more difficult than I thought it would be. I had to learn myself, to learn what I did and didn't want. For so long I did as I was told, and never gave a thought as to what I actually wanted to do. To be honest between school and taking care of my siblings while Mom was at work, there wasn't time to fit anything else into my day. At this point, settling down and starting a family is no where on my radar. My career comes first, and in my down time I'm learning who I am and what I like.

I glance back up at Esme, my thumb wedged between my teeth, I'm sure I'm the picture of indecision. But I can't let her down, she needs this and I deserve this so I push a smile across my lips and listen as she starts to lecture me. "Okay, woman, promise me that you'll try to have fun. Do something crazy, sleep with a man or four,". Her eyebrows wiggle in a naughty way up and down. "Swim with sharks, get a tan that has no lines..." She wiggles her hips suggestively. She's a bit drastic but I know what she means. Esme is the impulsive one and I'm the straight arrow. She usually drags me kicking and screaming into trouble. I never pursue trouble on my own, but I can't lie, I sure as hell enjoy it when Esme helps me find it. And this is my once in a lifetime trip so I absolutely need to make it one I will never forget.

I look Esme straight in the eyes and concede the points my straight-as-an-arrow personality will allow me to concede, counting them off on my fingers.

"First of all, you know the shark thing is out, I hate sharks." Seriously, I was deathly afraid of them, even in pictures! What animal needs that many teeth? "Secondly, I will do my best to make you proud of my level of debauchery. I do solemnly swear!" A twinkle flashes in Esme's eyes and I know exactly what she is thinking.

We both raise our hands and shout the quote from Harry Potter. "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good!" Giggles turn into snorts and tears of laughter. This is the side of my best friend that I love the most, her ability to not take herself or anyone else seriously. Problem is that when we get like this, it always takes us a few minutes to bring it back to a normal level.

"What about you, what's your plan for debauchery?" Normally Esme isn't much of a planner but after taking charge of her career, organization has now spilled over to all aspects of her life.

"Well, this is my last hurrah. I'm going to go and fuck my brains out, swim naked, and come home with a yeast infection. I'll bring my cooch home happy and then settle down and start my family." I see the small gathering of moisture in her eyes. Children are so important to her and I can't wait to be an Aunt to her kids, she will be amazing.

We hug it out until the 'moisture' is gone from her eyes. "Now, let's get to this island before all the sexy men are snatched up." She shoves my arm and directs my body to the door. I march out of it as directed.

**Vacation- **

**"_Hey I'm on vacation, I might not go back home, Ain't got no static on my Reggae station, I'm here, I'm gone, I'm on vacation." Vacation- Sam Hunt_**

More than 36 hours later, we arrive and the water is indescribable here in the Maldives. A mixture of blues, greens, and all sorts of combinations of those colors. It's everywhere you turn, crystal clear and filled with all sorts of life. I can't wait to jump in and explore. We walk in awe as the bellhop shows us to our cabana. The resort is definitely accurately described as 'extra' and well worth every single penny we are spending.

With the warm temperatures, and the distance we're covering, I'm already sweating through my light sweater I wore when we left Vancouver. Luckily we planned well and know we will only need bikinis, shorts, and sundresses while here. I have already chosen the sundress I will wear when we walk back down to the resort for dinner.

After Ricardo, our bell hop, shows us all around our cabana- my room and bathroom, Esme's room and bathroom, and the common areas- we unpack and get ready to go for dinner. I hear faint music from her room as she unpacks. Her sweet voice blends with the song as she sings along. I hum and move my hips as I apply more make up. I might as well go full face of makeup if I plan to 'snag a hot man to sex up' according to Esme's vacation philosophy.

"Es, you almost ready?" I call as I apply the last coat of mascara, I need to prompt her, or she will want to do a whole new hairdo. And no one has time for that, especially since we haven't had anything more substantial than snacks in well over six hours.

"Let me just finish up my hair." She shouts back from her end of the cabana. "It won't take me more than a couple of minutes."

"No, Esme, we don't have that kind of time, I'm starved. Please…" I charge towards her room.

"I'm just twisting it up, I'm not washing it, I swear." I peek around the corner at her staring into her large bathroom mirror. She really has just taken a few minutes and she looks like a totally different woman with a few twists of her hair. Every day I understand more and more why people book appointments for three months in advance to get their hair done by my best friend.

She turns to smile at me and nods her approval at my appearance. "Okay, Chick, let's do this." She grabs my hand and we head off to dinner and who knows what else the island has in store for us.

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Songs-

In My Blood- Shawn Mendes

Whole Lotta Woman- Kelly Clarkson

Small Town Boy- Dustin Lynch (I prefer the Stripped version.)

Little Miss- Sugarland

Vacation- Sam Hunt (Acoustic Mixtape Version)


	2. Chapter 2 Drinking Alone

**You guys are amazing, thanks so much for the awesome response to the first chapter. Enjoy!**

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**Chapter 2- Bella**

"_I couldn't help but notice you, Seem a little down on your love too, So, Yeah, My heart might be breaking, But this seat ain't taken, And you got me thinking, We should be drinking alone together. Drowning the pain is better, With someone else who got problems, We ain't gonna solve 'em, But misery loves company." Drinking Alone- Carrie Underwood_

"Esme are you sure you want to go to the dining room? I'd rather go eat at the small restaurant out by the ocean, it's casual and small so it won't have a ton of people." I'm all for having fun, but I sure am sick of being crammed into a small space with a ton of people I don't know. "I promise we'll go to the dining room tomorrow, but tonight I just need a more relaxed vibe, something small and intimate for us to just chill." I throw up my praying hands and make puppy dog eyes. She falls for it every time.

"Fine, but I better get hit on in your quaint restaurant." She makes the dreaded air quotes at me, and I pray, for my sake, her wish comes true.

"Yay, let's go, bitch." I grab her arm and run her out the cabana door before she can change her mind.

The atmosphere is exactly what I want, beautiful dark wood and lush padded booths. The further back you venture, the darker the lighting gets. We take a booth about midway back when our waitress appears.

"What can I get for you, Ladies?" She asks.

"Let's get some pasta to share and a few different appetizers, okay?" My stomach demanded real food, like stick to your ribs pasta.

"Okay, let's have this Lobster Mac N Cheese, and appetizer platter then." Esme suggests. When I nod my head the waitress writes it down for us.

"What about a signature cocktail?" She slides a folded menu towards us. My eyes light up, the drinks look delicious and they all have naughty names. The perfect vibe for us tonight.

Before Esme can respond, I order for both of us. "Pink Silk Panties for her and a Dick Sucker for me." I slam the menu back down on the table. Esme's eyes widen as our waitress smirks while she writes those down as well.

With our important issues taken care of, we get down to the real business of the evening. People watching. Or in Esme's case, man scouting.

We're enjoying our drinks and food when two guys approach our table. Both of them are medium height, fair amount of hair, they're both wearing linen shorts with silk shirts, and leather loafers with no socks. I can tell the minute Esme realizes they are heading our way, she snorts out a laugh and slaps my leg. I just nod, I've already seen them.

"Good evening, Ladies. Looks like you could use some company." The spokesman offers, he's not bad looking but he appears to have drowned in his baby oil in order to get his start on a tan, but he forgot to wash it off before he came down to dinner. It gives him a dirty porn star vibe.

"You're so sweet to worry about us, but we're good. Our guys will be down in a few, they ran up to shower, they still had their sun tan lotion on them and they felt that would be too greasy to eat dinner that way." Esme responds, then gives them a sugary sweet smile and takes a sip on her drink. When her straw makes that awkward sucking noise, she sits the drink back down on the table. "Thanks though, hope you boys enjoy your evening." She gives a wink and a wave. Thankfully they turn and leave.

"Oh my gosh, can you warn me next time, I almost snorted Dick Sucker out of my nose. Nobody wants dick in their nose, Esme, nobody." She shrugs and sips her drink, once again making the obnoxious noise no one likes.

A guy walking by stops at the edge of our table. "Ladies, you need another drink, I'm heading to the bar?" He's fairly tall, good head of hair, dressed and showered appropriately enough, and a beautiful set of teeth. Not bad, plus he's rocking one hell of an accent with just the right amount of drawl.

"Sure, I'll have a Sex In The Woods, and she's going to have to suck your dick." Esme answers as I pick up my drink to take a sip. When I hear her words, I suck too hard through my straw and apparently shoot my drink straight down my windpipe. I begin to choke, she calmly pats my back.

"I'm so sorry, that's not what she meant." I wheeze. Our drink Good Samaritan looks frozen in place, he's not sure what to say or do. I think Esme just broke him. She used to have this big fat assed cat who would just randomly stare off into space. She did it so often that we started saying, 'don't go all Fluffy on me'. Well he's just officially 'gone Fluffy' on us. Smile frozen in place, eyes darting back and forth.

"Oh, silly me, she'll have a Dick Sucker and I'll have a Sex In the Woods. Thanks!" She takes a chunk of her hair that's escaped the updo and twirls in between her finger and thumb, eyes rounded and blinking slightly more than normal.

_What the hell is wrong with her, did she hit her head or something? _

Drink bearer walks off with a slight smile, still looking bewildered. When he's out of ear shot, I slap her arm. Hard apparently because it hurts my hand.

"Ow, what the fuck, Bella?" She slaps my hand and rubs her arm.

"I should be asking you that, 'she's going to have to suck your dick', I can't believe you just said that. What the fuck?" Her eyes are filled with laughter. Very rarely do you see Esme somber and not joking. She's such a ray of sunshine, always looking to have a good time and make sure that everyone else does as well.

"I mean, hey, you never know, he might have said yes. We obviously could do worse, way worse." She sucks her straw again, this time her straw reverberations are so loud four people turn to look at our table. I snatch the drink from her.

"Well, you better hope he doesn't spike our drinks, dumbass." I watch him as he stands at the bar. Two other guys approach him and they do their man hug greetings. He keeps both hands on the bar at all times. The bartender sets three drinks on the bar and he signs the slip. He takes his beer and my drink, and hands Esme's drink to one of his friends. They all three make their way back to our table. It's obvious he's telling them about our previous conversation, because his two friends eyes bug at the same time and all three break out in laughter.

Esme is checking out his new friend, and I'm amazed at the multiplication of sexiness. Women and men alike turn to watch them walk back to our table. These are three men who are definitely used to getting plenty of looks, neither of the three of them acknowledge anyone else in the club, they focus on each other as they talk.

"Here you are, one Dick Sucker, though it's not my dick that is getting sucked." I laugh and reach for my drink. Handsome, nudges his friend's arm and motions to Esme. "And a Sex in the Woods. Can I get you anything else?" He rasps.

"I think we should at least know your names, especially if I wake up naked between the sheets tomorrow morning." Esme responds.

Raspy and his friend laugh, the tall sullen looking one who carried Esme's drink looks alarmed.

"She's just kidding. I'm Bella, she's Esme." Esme holds her hand out to Sullen first, even though he's the furthest from her.

"Esme." After a second or two of hesitation, he takes her hand.

"I'm Carlisle." She holds it a few seconds longer than acceptable. I turn to the other two as they hold out their hands.

"I'm Emmett and this is Edward." We all three shake hands while Carlisle and Esme are still eyeing each other up and down. "We have reservations in the dining room, but we could cancel and stay here. If that's okay?" Edward asks. Esme has finally pulled her hand back but she's looking at Carlisle like he's a piece of cheesecake and she just gave up on her diet.

"No, we're good. You guys go ahead and eat. We'll probably run into each other later on. Thanks for the offer, and the drinks, Emmett. We really appreciate it." I reach to shake their hands again and pull on Esme's arm to get her attention. "Right, Esme, we wouldn't want to keep them from anything they had planned."

Esme looks over at me and quickly does a double take. She mouths 'what?' at me. "Well, I mean...". I guess I have finally caught her speechless.

"Yeah, we'll catch up with them at another time. We were going to relax and drink alone for a little while and then head to our cabana's tonight. Remember?" I'm begging her to agree with me, at least my eyes are.

"Yeah, drinking alone tonight. She's right, boys, we'll catch up with you another night." She pats Carlisle's hand.

"Okay, we'll see you both soon then." Emmett,Edward, and Carlisle turn to leave.

Before they are gone from ear shot, she begins to slap my arm, hard! "Holy shit, what the hell?" I screech as I slap her arm back.

"What the hell is wrong with you? Three fine ass men, plopped in our laps, and you ran them off. We're on vacation, right? Not at a monastery, not a grave yard, but VACATION! We're supposed to get laid and make questionable decisions, Bella. Please promise me you'll let loose here. I need this. I want to have fun, sow my oats and then go home and settle down." She pulls me closer. "You need this, you're a free adult now, live a little. PLEASE."

I see tears well up in her eyes. And I feel guilty, I've hurt her. I didn't mean to do that, at all. I just meant that we should spend more time looking around before we slept with the second guys who speak to us. Not that I think we'll find anything better than the three that stood in front of us a few seconds ago. Maybe I was too hasty.

"I'm sorry, I just didn't want to give in. and appear too slutty." I whine. "The resort is not that big, maybe we'll see them tomorrow." I plead. I don't want her mad at me.

"You had better hope so." She sips on the drink that Emmett brought us. Internally I cross everything I can that I'm right, and that we see them tomorrow.

I'm fucked!

We have walked all over this resort and have not seen hide nor hair of any of the three. And now Esme's pissed at me. Great!

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Songs- Drinking Alone- Carrie Underwood


	3. Chapter 3 I Don't Know About You

Thanks so much for the kind words, so glad you all are digging the story. A guest reviewer asked last week who Lily was, since it was a guest I couldn't answer her directly. This story was originally written as a stand alone fiction story, because I had sworn off of Twilight fanfiction. But the more I wrote the more I realized that it was Edward and Bella so I should just give it up and make it what the story belonged to be in the first place. I set about editing it and setting it to rights. Lily was the name I gave Esme's character and just missed it in editing it back to Twilight. With that said, here is Chapter 3 for your reading pleasure...

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_**Chapter 3 Bella**_**\- I Don't Know About You**

"_What's your name? What's your sign? What's your birthday? What's your wrist tattoo Bible verse say? Tell me this, do you kiss on the first date? Don't hold anything back?" I Don't Know About You- Chris Lane_

Esme's sick of me apologizing, so she sends me down to the club to eat. She wants a quiet night to soak in a cold bath and order room service. I don't want to leave her but she's just pissed enough that I'm slightly afraid of her, so I reluctantly go.

I'm sitting in the same booth as last night, just in case. Several guys have stopped by but politely left when I made it clear I wasn't interested. Except the two who are here currently. They are the first two who stopped by the table last night. Still just as greased up as last night but tonight they have on these huge gold chains and have their shirts unbuttoned too far to be appropriate with a fro of chest hair showing.

"Listen, last night you said you were waiting for your guys. But no guys showed up. We watched you all night, you left alone." I'm slightly alarmed by his admission and by his slight Russian accent. The vibes he puts out says he's the kind that will chop you up in pieces in the back of his father's butcher shop and smoke a Marlboro while doing so.

I sputter and search for a way to get out of this conversation and club, when my salvation saunters right in the door. I stand before I realize what I'm doing and make my way to Edward.

"You know you have some nerve making me wait here all this time by myself." I say a little too loudly, and glance over my shoulder at my Russian stalkers. "You're going to have to work hard to make this up to me." I throw my arms around his waist and lean in close to him. He wraps me up without any hesitation as he responds.

"Baby, I'll spend the rest of my life working to make you happy." My mouth falls open and he leans down to kiss my cheek, while slipping his index finger up to close my mouth. "How are they going to buy our ruse if you stand here like a fish with your mouth flopping open in shock?" He lays a kiss to my cheek and asks loudly. "Did you enjoy your 'girl time'?"

"Yes, it was wonderful, but I'm glad you're here with me now. Let's eat." I glance over my shoulder and Stefan and Vlad are gone. I let Edward go and step away.

"Oh, I see how it is. When you need me, you show the love, when you're in the clear, no love." He throws a hand up to his chest over his heart and clutches it. "I'm hurt, so hurt."

I laugh and slap his hand away. "Stop it, I get it. I'm sorry, I was slightly afraid of them though, they admitted to watching Esme and I all night last night. I saw my chance and took it. Seriously, thank you for playing along. I can't thank you enough." I lay my hand on his bare arm and squeeze it.

"It's my pleasure. Now let's get dinner like you promised me." I laugh but there's no way I'd say no to him, I really was afraid and he saved me without hesitation, I at least owe him dinner.

"Where's your sidekicks tonight?" He leads me to a booth further in the back where the light is darker. His warm hand that rests gently on my low back is burning a hole through my sundress.

"Emmett's found a cocktail waitress who plays Fortnight, and she was off tonight so they are holed up in his cabana playing PS3, and Carlisle felt like a quiet night in. Yours?"

I blush. "Well, we walked all over today and she got a pretty good sunburn so she's soaking in the tub and ordering in tonight." I leave out the Carlisle part, maybe I can get the info later without giving Esme up.

We both order drinks, and seafood before Edward begins a conversation. When he totally ignores the waitresses who almost broke her eyes while eye fucking him. I know that no matter who else shows up on this island, Edward is the one for me. He's sexy, he's charming, and he is not a player who takes the chance to look at any female walking within 10 miles.

"So, looks like Esme and Carlisle had a moment there last night." His long fingers grip the glass in a way that turns me on just by watching them.

"Uh, Yeah. It was so fun watching Esme become speechless, she's never like that. Carlisle looked pretty captivated too, I mean not that I know him well, but still." Edward is a eye contact guy, his deep green eyes suck you in. It's like he's trying to look into my soul, to figure me out. He does more than a casual observation with his eyes, he seems to read deeply and understand things you want to keep hidden.

"What's her story?" He asks, he holds his beer loosely in his right hand, it wraps around the glass. All of his actions seem relaxed and assured. He's clearly a man who is comfortable with himself.

"Oh, no that's for her and Carlisle to work out, I'm not getting in the middle of that. Besides, she's my girl, you think I'm going to just roll over and giver her up so you can run back to Carlisle and give him all the info?" I lift my eyebrow into my signature doubtful pose, my 'Bitch Brow' Esme calls it. "This ain't middle school, Edward, he's gonna have to work for it." He tosses his head back as he chuckles.

"Hey, you can't blame me, Carlisle's my boy, I'm just looking out." A smile crosses his face and he tilts his chin towards me. "He's been through some rough stuff this year, I'm just giving him all the help I can." He raises his glass up and salutes me. I lift mine and clink his.

"How about we just let them work it out, Esme knows what she wants and usually goes after it, she's transparent. No hidden agenda." Edward does a cute half frown, half eyebrow shrug, the classic sign of 'duly noted'. So apparently we are playing this like middle school.

"Good to know." He pauses, hesitant almost. "What about you, what's your story?"

"What's your last name?" I ask. He looks confused but offers it up.

"Masen." It suits him.

"Edward Masen, you hitting on me?" Please, dear God, let him say yes, I internally beg.

"Well, I mean, we are eating dinner together so I figured there needs to be talking and getting to know each other, I'm not some Jezebel that just eats with anybody and everybody. I need a connection, my momma raised me right." His southern accent is going to be the death of me for sure, that and his gorgeous green eyes.

I lay my head back and just howl with laughter. My humor is usually too far left of center for most folks, so it absolutely refreshing when someone not only gets my humor but then can give it back as well.

"Well, Okay, I'm from Vancouver. I just completed classes a few months ago from Simon Fraser. I got my degree in Humanities. I'm a public relations manager for a Children's Charity." He seems to be hanging on my every word. He doesn't fidget at all, he sits forward in his chair, taking in all I'm offering. I've never felt so special. "I've worked as an intern for four years and they hired me when I graduated. So, Esme and I are here to celebrate one last time before it's finally time be a full fledged adult." I hesitate telling him about my dad, for once I just want to be Bella, not poor little Bella who's dad died. We'll see how this goes, maybe when I know him better. For now I'm Celebration Bella, like a special edition Barbie but with a few more curves and far less cool accessories. "Okay, Masen, your turn." I wave my hand in a small sideways circle indicating it's his turn to talk.

"What to tell, hmmm." Our waitress brings our refills I never even saw him ask for, maybe she just wanted a little more face time with him. "I'm the youngest of three kids, I'm from Marietta, Georgia. I went to Georgia Tech, I studied Organizational Behavior and Management. Carlisle, Emmett, and I are also here for vacation." He smiles and does my hand wave back at me. "Your turn, again. What's your name, what's your sign, what's your birthday, what's your wrist tattoo Bible verse say?"

"Uhm, What?" I scratch my head, my forehead all scrunched up. He laughs this deep throaty chuckle.

"It's a song, I thought it applied here so I used the lyrics." I have a feeling that if Edward keeps looking deep into my eyes and smiling like he is, I'll tell him a whole lot more than those four little questions. I'll spill my guts of everything I know for him.

"Okay, I'm Isabella Marie Swan, born on September 13, 1994. And I don't have a wrist Bible verse tattoo but if I did, I'd use Isaiah 41:13, 'For I am the Lord, your God, who holds your right hand, who says Do not fear, I will help you.' I do have a tattoo on my spine. It's a lotus flower that says 'if not for love then why'?" His eyebrows raise, most guys are tempted to want to see them when you admit you have a tattoo. Apparently, Edward is 'most guys'. I wave my hand at him.

"Edward Anthony Masen," He looks a little thrilled to be sharing the info. "I was born on June 20, 1994, so I'm older than you. I'm the youngest child, my only life goal is to be older and above someone in the pecking order, just go with it." He ignores my eye roll. "No tattoos but if I did I'd use Psalms 28:7 'The Lord is my strength and shield; my heart trusts him, and he helps me.'." My heart melts a little, I love a man who is confident in himself and his faith. Edward seems to be both. "Favorite food, drink, and biggest influence, and go." Cue the hand wave.

"Anything seafood, I literally could eat seafood every single day and not be sad. Drink is Cherry Coke, and my biggest influence was my dad." I realize my slip by using past tense but Edward moves on past it when I wave my hand at him.

"Easy, my dad grills the best steaks and my momma makes creamed corn, fried okra, and biscuits. By far the best meal I've ever put in my mouth. I don't drink it often but Cheerwine is my favorite. My dad and mom are probably tied for my biggest influence." He takes a drink of his beer and stares off into space for a few seconds. "Okay, favorite song, favorite tv show, and favorite movie." Hand waves.

"Song is Don't Take The Girl by Tim McGraw, my daddy loved country music and he'd sing that to me when it came on." I fought back a few tears, I hadn't thought of that memory in a while. I pretend to be thinking about my other choices. "TV show is almost any reality show, I love the dichotomy of people being themselves without a filter, but trying to look 'nice' on TV. And movie would be a tie between The Notebook and Dodgeball." I smile, I know he's going to love that pairing.

His head tilts back and he lets out another deep laugh, I find myself staring at his adam's apple, wanting to lick it. Everything about this man is strong and sexy.

We continue on asking random tidbits about each other until our food is gone and we have both waved off the waitress who is trying to brink us round four or five of our drinks. I swear our table has had more attention from her than her other tables combined...all week. She is definitely warm for Edward's form.

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Songs- I Don't Know About You- Chris Lane

All The Right Problems- Chris Lane


	4. Chapter 4 Dibs

Chapter 4- Bella- Dibs

"_I'm calling dibs, On your lips, On your kiss, On your time, Boy I'm calling dibs, On your hand, On your heart, All mine." Dibs- Kelsea Ballerini_

"Come on, Slugger," He calls me a nickname my dad gave me after I punched a kid because he said my baby sister looked like a hairless mole rat. "Let's go dance this food off." Edward pats his non existing stomach and stretches a little.

Mine is soft, and probably a few inches larger than most men would find sexy. I want to assume Edward is not worried about it, but very rarely do men prove me wrong so I'm cautious about dancing. His hands on me, feeling the extra padding I have on my hips and stomach. I'm not sure I'm ready for that.

"Oh no, I know that face, that's the 'how do I get out of this shit' face. No way, bring your sexy ass on and let's bump and grind, woman." He grabs my hand and pulls me out of the booth and toward the dance floor.

Some of the tables have been moved to make more room for dancing, seems to be a good idea since the floor is crowded already. We make our way to the back corner to a high top table and sit our drinks down. As soon as my drink rests on the table, Edward pulls me into his arms and closer to the dance floor. Strip that Down is playing. I do a little internal squee, don't judge me, One Direction were my Bae's, except for Zayn since he dipped. I'm ready, we've danced to this song in my fitness dance class so I got a few moves.

He allows me to set the pace, his hands on my hips and he moves with me. Not too close but close enough that I feel him with me. I flip my hair off to one side, probably not the best idea to get sweaty with Edward that close to me. He leans in and I could be wrong, but I'm pretty sure he just smelled me. "Damn, girl, you smell fantastic." I feel his breath on my hot skin, it immediately raises goosebumps.

"It's my body wash, it's Peony and Macadamia nut oil." I can't lie, I push slightly closer to him and make sure the hips swivel is a little bit bigger than last time. Edward rests his forehead on my shoulder and we keep dancing.

The song switches to Talk Dirty by Jason Derulo and 2 Chainz. Esme and I freaking love 2 Chainz more than white girls should. Usually when we're together we both scream 2 Chainz as loud as possible and take a tequila shot. Since Esme left me on my own, I'm going to initiate Edward.

"Tequila shots!" I twist my head to whisper into his ear. He just nods, and lets me go. And I instantly want to take back the decision and go back to dancing with him. His hands feel like they were made for my hips, I want to feel them where they belong, on me.

We make our way to the bar, I step in close and Edward fits his body up against mine, sandwiching me in. We wait our turn, and when the bartender makes eye contact with Edward, he orders four Tequila shots.

"I hope you're thirsty, because I sure am." His nose makes a slow trek up the side of my neck as he whispers to me. I can only nod. Body Like A Back Road comes on while we're waiting on our shots. I hear Edward mouthing the words while his hands roam over my waist and hips. Every single inch he touches fuels the fire in me. I'm thinking of doing things to this man there is no way I'd ever think of doing under normal conditions, is it just the situation or is it Edward? I have no way of knowing.

When our shots arrive, Edward takes my hair and moves it off my neck again. He licks my neck and sprinkles a dash of salt along the wet spot. So I turn and do the same to him, he bends his knees to accommodate our height difference. He takes a lime and puts it between his lips, and places one in my mouth.

My heart stops, a few nose rubs and hands on hips is far different than what we are about to do.

Our eyes lock as he reaches for a shot for each of us, he presses my shot into my hand and takes his. His slight nod precedes the quick lick to the salty spot on my neck, and then he drops his head back to take his shot. I use the chance to lick the salt off of him and dump my drink into my mouth. As soon as my head returns to a normal position, Edward's hand grabs the side of my face and smashes our mouths together. I feel the limes releasing their juices as our mouths almost kiss. I feel a few brushes of his upper lip, no actual contact because of the limes, but it's the most erotic thing I have had the pleasure to be a part of.

When he pulls away, my chest is heaving with the panting breathes that are doing their best to keep me alive. I drop the lime from my mouth and pull Edward back to my mouth. This time our lips do touch, he's slightly salty and tangy from the Tequila. His tongue immediately invades and mixes with mine. One hand drops to my waist to hold me close and the other slides around to the back of my neck. But his hands are so large that his thumb reaches around to caress my lower jaw. It's a picture perfect scene from a Nicholas Sparks movie. So much so that I can't help but whimper.

Edward's lips tear away from mine. "Jesus, woman, what in the hell am I going to do with you?" He asks to the air around us. I dip my head and place my forehead on his chest. It's nice to know that he's having just as hard a time as I am. A smile crosses my lips and I realize he's just as effected by me as I am by him.

I look up and kiss his chin. "Another shot?" He kisses my nose and nods.

This time we lick our own hands, I don't ask why. I'm pretty sure I know why, it's probably not safe to repeat our first shot. As soon as all the Tequila is gone and our limes are dealt with, Edward drags me back out to the dance floor.

The couples have dwindled down to just a handful, almost as sparse as the lighting is now. And the music has taken on a much more sensual feel. I don't know if that's because of the drinks in my system or if it's an actual adjustment by the DJ, but either way I like the change.

Long arms wrap me up and hold me close. Our bodies barely moving in time to the new song. Adam Levine is singing about two bodies connecting. The sensual beat of the drums is reverberating in my clit and I'm almost willing to beg Edward to take me back to his room, right the fuck now.

When we danced together before, I led our bodies. This time it's clear that he's in charge. I'm just along for the ride with him. Our hips circle in time with the slide of his hands, the whisper soft touch of his beard across the sensitive skin of my neck. It feels as if everyone else on Earth has faded away and it's him and I alone. No one else. No one else matters.

The warm salty air is heady as it swirls around us, the moisture droplets it carries cool my body. It's almost as if my brainwaves are mimicking the visual beat of the music. When the bass drum hits I feel my thoughts scatter. I should feel scared to be with a man I don't even really know, but my body has never felt more at home than I do with Edward.

"I'm fucked, for sure." He whispers, as the song morphs. I feel the heat between us amp up. I'm almost afraid to look up at him. The new song is pure sex, he's describing in detail what he wants to do to her, and how he wants to do it exactly. I can close my eyes and picture the scenarios he's laying out in 4/4 time, only my perfect partner is none other than the man holding me, driving me higher, pushing me past the edge of worrying about the consequences of it all.

I can't take anymore, I whimper as I pull away slightly, and pull Edward's face down to mine. Our lips tangle, tongues push across each other as we fight for dominance. I want to give up the control and trust him, but my body is too far gone. It's demanding the release that we've been building to all night long.

Mouths, tongue, and teeth twist and turn. Our hands are wandering beyond borders that are safe in public environment, but neither of us stop.

"Wait, Bella, shit. Wait, we can't." My heart sinks.

"What?" Terror fills my body, is this where I hear the 'it's not you, it's me speech'?

"No, pretty girl, it's just, we're both pretty drunk and I would never forgive myself if our first time happens when we're in this condition. We have time, I'm not saying never, I'm just saying not right now. Okay?" I try to comprehend but the electric static in my body is arcing off of Edward's body still. I feel charged up but yet so confused. "Com'ere. Let me hold you, then I'll walk you back to your room, okay?" He pulls me to him as he's speaking. I love his sexy southern accent. And since he smells like spice with a mix of fresh cut grass and sunshine all at the same time, I allow him to pull me into his chest. We shuffle back and forth until the song is over.

Without words we move from the dance floor and I lead him back to my cabana. Our fingers are twined together like it's ninth grade and we're on our first date. I'm almost giddy with the sensations. It's been a long time since I've felt this, life was too busy happening around me to allow me a chance to simply live the life of a teenager.

"This is me." I turn to face him, hoping for more than a few words to end my night.

His hands reach up and pull me close again, they wrap around the back of my neck. I feel his thumbs caressing my jaw again. I feel so small in his hands, I feel safe, cherished.

"Can I see you tomorrow? I meant what I said about this not being the end." He tilts my face up and I meet his eyes. Warm, melted chocolate look back at me.

"Sure." Internally I give a obnoxious squee.

"You wanna sleep in or do you wanna meet me for breakfast?" His eyes search mine, I want to see hopefulness there. I feel like I do, but I'm too afraid that I'm making more of it than what's really there.

"Sleep in and have a late breakfast?" I ask. My nose barely brushes his nose as I speak. I want to lean in for more, to end the night with skin on skin.

"Perfect, ring my room when you're up and I'll come get you. I'm in cabana 20." I just nod. He leans in and kisses my forehead, pressing and holding his lips to my skin. "Sweet dreams, Bella. I'll see you tomorrow morning." He places one more kiss on my forehead and walks backwards away from me. He waves a hand at me to get inside, I wave as I open the door and slip inside.

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Songs- Dibs- Kelsea Ballerini

Strip That Down- Liam Payne

Talk Dirty- Jason Derulo feat. 2 Chainz

Body Like A Back Road- Sam Hunt

Lips On You- Maroon 5

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It's getting hot in herre, so hot in herre! Right?!


	5. Chapter 5 Last Minute Late Night

**Chapter 5- Edward**

"_I know it's late to be calling, Whatcha' doing right now, I couldn't wait till tomorrow, To get to talking to you, I gotta see you girl, ASAP, I gotta get you right here next to me, Get you right here next to me." Last Minute Late Night- Kane Brown_

I walk backwards away from Bella's cabana. I don't want to be this infatuated with someone, but I am. This is a vacation, I'm almost 10,000 miles from home. I'll be here for three weeks and then back to real life. I go out, I date, my friends set me up all the time. The last time there was chemistry was almost four years ago at college. I want the life my parents have, the companionship, a ride or die, Team Edward is top of my list to make happen. But I'm also smart enough not to force it. I can't help the smile that crosses my face when I think of Granny Masen saying 'God's timing doesn't always line up with your timing, son', boy was she right this time.

Bella said yes when I asked her to hang out with me tomorrow. I should be happy she wants to hang with me, just plain old Edward. Not Atlanta Braves Shortstop, Edward Masen. Maybe that has been the hold up all along. I always wonder if it's me they like or more like what I bring to the table, the celebrity lifestyle, the money, the 15 minutes of fame for them. Cynicism certainly has set in I guess.

However, Bella doesn't know that side of me so I have no choice but to accept it for what it is, a connection between the two of us. She's certainly different than most of the girls I've been attracted to. She has a maturity that says she has 10 years on me, yet we're the same age. She's so confident in herself as well, which is super sexy, to me anyway. She's passionate about her job, you should have seen the way her eyes light up when she told me what she did for a living. And her vulnerability screams to the testosterone in me, I feel the need to step up and protect her in ways I've never felt before. Let's not even bring up the way her body fits against mine, her lips and mine, they're yen and yang. I wasn't lying when I said I want her, but I want her respect more than I want her body so here I am walking away from her closed door.

I know we just spent about four hours together but I can't wait till tomorrow to see her again. An idea pops into my mind so I take off jogging to my cabana. I dash in the door and straight to my room. My hand can't reach the phone on my nightstand fast enough. I scan the card that tells how to call from room to room and dial the numbers that will connect me to her.

"Hello?" Bella sounds breathless and confused.

"Bella, Hey. I hope it's okay I called you, shit...well, I couldn't wait till tomorrow morning to talk with you again." I chuckle nervously. I sound stupid, absolutely stupid.

She returns the chuckle. "Okay, give me about ten minutes to finish taking my make up off and I'll call you right back." Suddenly, I want to see her without make up, fresh face and even more vulnerable and innocent looking.

"Okay, I'll be waiting." All my coolness- gone, swagger- no where to be found. And I'm not the least bit concerned.

"Ten minutes, I promise. Bye." Hopefully that's a hint of anticipation I hear in Bella's voice as well.

"Bye, Bella." I lay the phone back in its cradle and dash to the closet. I grab a pair of sweats and change. I run my toothbrush over my teeth and wash my face. All the while, praying she calls me back like she said she would. I check my watch and try to estimate how much time has gone by, and how much is left before I talk to her again. The alcohol has left my body, this high is all Bella.

The phone rings and I snatch it up before the first ring finishes. "Hello." She's chuckling again.

"Excited much?" She's on to me.

"Is it dorky to say, yeah, kinda?" I admit.

"No, not really. I was happy you called. I know we spent several hours together but I still kinda wanted more." I sit up on my bed and do a silent fist pump.

"You did?" My middle school innocence has found the adult me. I'm thrilled beyond belief by the fact that this woman wants to spend her time just talking on the telephone with me.

"Is that dorky to admit?" Bella is a 10 times 10 in my book. Her humor is amazing, and the laugh is out of my mouth before I can stop it. This, this right here is why I can't stay away from her.

"No, not dorky at all. Funny enough, I understand completely." The silence falls between us, it's not uncomfortable at all. It wraps around me like a warm blanket on a cold night, I relish it. The only thing that would make it better would be to actually be with her, holding her. Nothing sexual, just me and her wrapped up in each other, talking and being together. "Hey, can I come over?"

I'm not one to speak without thinking, I weight my words and usually have control over my body, but tonight, not so much.

"Yes." The words are out of her mouth before I even have time to worry I spoke too soon, or asked too much.

"Are you serious?" I'm already standing looking for a t-shirt and my slides to put on.

"Yeah, I'm in my jammies with no make up, but come on." She doesn't sound hesitant at all, she's not afraid for me to see her as she is. I silently pray for a way that this possible relationship goes somewhere good.

"I'll be right there." I hang up and jog back to her cabana. She's standing at the door waiting for me. She's wearing yoga pants and a t-shirt that says 'if there's no food, then I'm not going'. As soon as I'm close enough, I pull her to me and kiss her lips. "Thanks for letting me come over. I just wanted to be with you." I shrug my shoulders, sheepishly. Her smile stretches across her lips while mine are still kissing hers.

"I wanted to see you too. Shhhh." She presses a finger across her mouth and waves me in to the cabana. All the lights are out and the place is silent. "Esme is asleep." She whispers. I nod. Bella leads me out to the deck and onto the hammock floor, built into the deck. She has a few pillows tossed down and a fluffy blanket beside them. I tug on her hand and stop her movement.

"This is perfect." I place a small kiss to her forehead and push her hips back into motion.

She steps all the way to the edge of the hammock floor and stops. She turns to look at me, with her index finger between her teeth. "I haven't been bold enough to step out onto this thing. I don't know how to uhm, mount it." She grins around her finger.

"Oh, baby, don't you worry about mounting it, cause I know all we need to know about that." I wiggle my eyebrows at her and slip off my slides. "We have one at our cabana too, it works best if you sort of sit and slide into it. We both drop down on our asses and scoot into the hammock. She pulls the pillows over and hands me one. I set mine at the edge of the wooden dock built around our hammock, facing the water. I lay back and pull her against me and pull the blanket close, so when we need it, we won't have to move to get it.

"Tell me about your job." I question her, even though this is a dangerous topic. Because she can turn and ask me the same thing. I won't lie to Bella but it is so damn refreshing to just be Edward without any other expectations running through anyone's head. So I hope I can distract her and stay away from my work.

"I started there when I was in my last year of high school. It started out as a summer camp counselor, but stayed on after summer camp was over. I basically help find people with money and connect them with organizations that need money. All of the organizations we work with are focused on children. It's so rewarding seeing those faces accepting what life hands them and for once, just once in their life they get what they deserve instead of what was left over. I can't describe the level of job satisfaction I get knowing that I was a part of that." She gets real quiet, I don't know if I should fill the silence or if this is a moment she needs to herself. "When I was 16, my dad was killed in the line of duty, he was a police officer. I'm the oldest of five kids. So naturally my mom went to work and I became the adult at home. I held it all together while mom tried to keep our lights on and food on our table." She won't want sympathy, I can hear that from the tough as steel edge to her voice as she speaks, but it still makes my heart ache knowing that while I was being a dumbass teenager and having fun, Bella was off being a parent. I tighten my hold on her and place a quick kiss on the top of her head. She rewards my actions with a hand on my chest. "So to see kids suffer in any way, physically, emotionally, or financially really hits home for me. We did fine, we moved to Vancouver because that's where my mom's family is from, so we had help but there was always this void that no matter how hard anyone worked, it was always there. I want to be the one that helps fill that void for others. You know?"

Isabella Marie Swan is my fucking hero, she is the superstar in this relationship, not me. Nothing I do will ever compete with her work. Nothing. It makes me feel good knowing I have a certain amount of influence on kids, I can tell them to study hard and do good in school, to work hard and listen to their coach but I won't ever really make a difference in their lives. Not like Bella does.

"You are the most amazing person I've ever met. Really." I hug her tighter. I could really fall for Bella, but I shut that idea down before it takes root, I can't let myself entertain that idea. There is no way that could happen with our distance and our jobs being what they are. So I do the best I can do for her and pull her face to mine and kiss the shit out of her.

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Songs- Last Minute Late Night- Kane Brown

I Met A Girl- Sam Hunt (Acoustic Mixtape Version)


	6. Chapter 6 Trouble Looking

**You guys are so awesome and I swear I have ready every single review, even if I haven't had time to reply to them. Baseball has begun again, and all I can say is THANK HEAVENS, IT'S ABOUT DAMN TIME!**

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**Chapter 6-Edward**

"_Cause I know I'm going to fall for you, My mind I'm gonna lose it, All the warning signs are flashing, I can't help it I just gotta have that, Gotta smile that leads to something that it shouldn't be doing, I can tell by the way you're laughing, You're trouble looking for a place to happen." Chris Young_

Kissing Bella is absolute perfection. Our lips slide together while our tongues tangle. She sucks lightly on mine and I almost lose my mind. I'm a guy, I can relate it to other parts of my body being sucked on, sue me.

"Mmmm, Bella, wait. We're outside. Is this okay?" She barely pauses her path, making her way down my jaw. I need to make sure she's definitely up for this before she hits my neck cause once she has kissed that, it's on with no stopping. "Hey, look at me." She glances up, her lips are swollen and so kissable. Eyes wide open and blinking at me. She is the picture of perfection. "I'm down for this, obviously, but I just want to make sure you are. And here, especially." I glance from side to side, we are hidden from any spectators but it's still outside so there is always a chance we could be spotted.

"Edward, are you a virgin?" Her wide eyes blink slowly at me.

"No, why?" I'm confused now.

"Well, you keep asking if I'm okay. It's almost like you're not okay with this but you're too afraid to say so. If you don't want this we can stop." She starts to pull away. I grab her hips and slide her up and down on my lap.

"Does that feel like I don't want this?" I know she feels me, if I can feel her heat, she can feel me, rock hard, in my sweats. "My momma raised me to ask first, and I played sports in high school. I've seen plenty of girls who were taken advantage of, thinking it's what they wanted, when in reality they weren't really given a chance to say no. So, I'm just making sure you have the chance to say no. That's all." She smiles at me, when I have a sudden thought. "Are you a virgin?" I don't really know if I want her to be or not. Being the first makes any man feel invincible, but at the same time, experience is a plus as well.

"No, I'm not. Remember summer camp counselor. Yeah I gave that camp blood, sweat and tears, literally." Her left leg slips over my hip, and twists to sit astride me. My hands go directly to her hips. My abs are going to get a workout tonight. I lift up to kiss her, my hands tangle in her hair. The smell of her fruity shampoo waves around us. It's intoxicating.

Our eyes lock as we slowly move toward each other. There's no hesitation from either of us. A small smile lifts the corners of my mouth, I aim for the corner of her mouth and start there. Small sucking kisses, while I inch closer to the center of her mouth. Her skin feels like silk beneath my thumbs as I caress her jawbone. She so small under my hands, and I love it.

Her hips roll across me and we both moan. She's so tentative but she doesn't need to be, everything she does feels so good to me. I bite her bottom lip and pull slightly. My eyes find hers. "Yeah, just like that, Bella." I drop a hand to her hip and push her downward, providing more pressure where we both want it. It achieves the desired effect for her, she arches her back and her head falls back. I let her go and just let her do her thing. When her hands tangle in her hair, it stretches her body out and elongates it.

I know she's concerned about her size. Not once have I ever thought about it unless she's brought it up. She's healthy, but I can see how in this society we live in, there's pressure to be a certain size. I just wish they could see her right now, sitting on my lap, stretched out with pleasure, her tits high and firm begging to be touched. I reach up and take them both in my hands. They're soft and full, heavy in my hands. I rub my thumbs across her nipples. This causes a stutter in her rhythm, so I do it again.

"Yes, oh God. Yes." I twist them just to see her reaction, she likes this as well, if her moans and increased hip rolls are any indication. Her hands drop to my chest, she uses it for leverage to grind down harder. "Do you have a condom, Edward?" I freeze.

I don't have one with me. It was not my intention to hook up when I left my room. So I didn't think to bring any. I'm fully prepared to take care of her and worry about myself later if need be. She's too beautiful as she is to stop this for a simple problem like protection.

"I'm sorry, Bella, I don't." She adjusts her feet and attempts to stand up. She half crawls and half walks right up over me and takes off when her feet hit the solid ground of the deck. I don't have a chance to explain or extend the offer to take care of her before she's gone.

I'm left trying to decide what the hell just happened and what I'm going to do about it when Bella emerges back out on the deck, now wearing a short nightgown and has a roll of condoms in her hand. She turns and half walks, half crawls back down over me to her original position on my lap. I run my hands up her bare legs.

"You find what you were looking for?" I ask, and she just nods and holds them up for me. Three of them, she has high hopes for tonight. "And you changed?" I tilt my head down to her bare legs.

"I thought this would be easier for us to work around." This woman is fucking brilliant. I lean up and kiss her lips quickly.

"Yes, it will be." My hands have reached her hips and have yet to find a scrap of fabric so apparently this is all she's wearing. She slides back on my legs and pushes up my t-shirt. So I pull it off as she's pulling my sweats down. I slide them and my boxer briefs down.

Bella reaches for my dick as it swings free of my underwear, her soft little hand wraps around me and I'm transported to heaven. She slowly slides her hand up and down my skin. The cool night air mixed with my heated skin, and Bella's little moans of anticipation are enough to make me blow my load right now. I need to make sure she's ready so I can get inside her as soon as possible. Before I die.

My right hand slides up the inside of her thigh and I push slightly so she'll widen them. She complies instantly and I proceed higher. Her sweet little pussy lips are mostly bare and slick, so slick. "Dear God, you're going to be the death of me. Can I touch you?"

"Please! I need you to touch me." She twists her hips, sliding my fingers deeper between her lips and rocking slightly when she has them where she wants them. Her eyes are closed but mine are glued to her. I watch every single action, taking note of what she likes and what's making her hot.

Her hands grab her breasts and twist her nipples just like I did a few minutes ago. She's definitely a multi-tasker during sex, she likes several things happening at once, and I'm more than okay with that. I push her right hand away and slide inside her nightgown to twist her bare nipple while she rides my fingers.

She has yet to take them inside herself, she's just using them to rub against. Let's see if she likes dirty talk. "You gonna come on my fingers, sweet Bella?" Her whimpers increase and so do her hips. Her hand has all but stopped jacking my dick but that's okay, I don't want too much too soon or I won't be able to make her feel good. "That's it, baby, ride my fingers, show me how you like it." I whisper to her, and twist her nipple again. I feel the wetness increase on my fingers, and feel her inner thighs begin to shake.

I pull her closer so I can kiss her while she's falling apart. My right hand finds her clit and rubs firmly across her, while my left hand twists her nipple and holds pressure on it. "Come on, baby, let me see you fall apart for me." Her hips buck wildly, without rhythm so I just hold pressure on her clit and let her move.

"Yes,yes,yes,oh fuck yes!" She chants in a hushed whisper.

"You are so fucking beautiful, you gonna come for me."

Her body stops moving, her muscles lock up as she drops her hands to my chest to support her weight. Bliss is written across her face, I watch it encroach, then engulf and recede. Nothing has been more powerful, than watching Bella come for me. She is more than words can say. I don't know if I'm going to get my fill of her before it's time to go, and I just pray that leaving her is not painful for either of us.

She immediately slides back on my thighs and drops her hand to the deck to grab the condom. She tears it open and sheaths me without words. When she moves to slide back onto my lap, I help her. I lift and she glides down onto me. She's wet enough that it's easy going.

I plant my feet and push up into her. She's so tight, and feels fucking amazing. "Fucking hell, Edward."

Her eyes are searching mine. Her smile is so sweet and blissful. I reach up and brush my thumb across her full lips. She follows my thumb and kisses the rough pad, biting gently. Our eyes remained locked. Slowly, so slowly I push up into her.

She twists and pushes down as I push up. I feel her contract and pull me in further. I'm about to embarrass myself and come so damn fast. I want her to come again before I do. I lick my thumb, it's saturated with the tang of her arousal, and place my thumb back on her clit.

"Please, baby, please say you're close so I don't embarrass myself." Her eyes dilate and she increases her hip speed.

"Close, so close." I pull out the trick that worked last time, dirty talk.

"You're so fucking beautiful, riding me, you know that? I'm a lucky man. I don't deserve you but I sure as hell am going to enjoy this. I can't wait to go down on you, to get you in a bed where I can twist you in all kids of positions and fuck you so good. Just to return the favor to you. You are so sweet, so tight, please say you're fucking close, I can't..." I can't watch her anymore, I have to close my eyes, my dirty talking has backfired and just pushed me closer to coming instead of distracting me.

"Yes, oh yes, please, just please." I twist my hips and work them in a circle. She nods furiously, deep panting breaths escape her. Her swollen lips form an 'O' and she goes still. Her only indication is her slight inner thigh shakes.

I grab her hips and anchor her down onto me and push up with as much force as I can gather on a hammock and double my speed. Her face shows the same progression of bliss as before and as soon as her face tilts down and her eyes open, they lock with mine. And I explode. I do my best to hold her gaze but I can't, the pleasure rips up my spine and tears my brain loose from my skull. I can't control any part of my body, much less my eyes. I can only give pleasure the wheel and allow my body to go where it feels it must.

As soon as I can regain control I open my eyes to find Bella still staring at me. Her face is relaxed and as blissful as a person can be.

"Dear God, how am I going to fly away from here with you not by my side? That is hands down the best sex of my life. You're amazing." I pull her down for a kiss.

"You weren't so bad." She shrugs just a second before she kisses me. My lips freeze. She burst into fits of laughter right against my lips. "You should see your face, oh my God, that's so funny." I smack her still bare ass.

"Look, woman, no jokes while I'm still inside you, okay?" I secretly love that she's comfortable enough to joke right now. Zero awkwardness.

"Okay, let's get this off so we can sleep, I'm exhausted." She moves her body and I pull the condom off and tie it up. I slip my underwear and pants back up. She tucks the condom and wrapper into a tissue and stuffs it into a glass she has sitting on the deck.

We roll into each other and she settles into the crook of my arm. I feel the warmth and immediately want to let sleep claim me. I kiss the side of Bella's head and drift off.

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Songs- Trouble Looking- Chris Young

Ride- Chase Rice feat. Macy Maloy


	7. Chapter 7 Reason To Stay

Hey guys, so sorry this chapter is late, Baseball season has begun, MLB as well as Little League, which means I am one busy girl! Have no fear though, I have 31 chapters pre-written so I wont leave you hanging. Hope you enjoy a little more Ed and Bella mixed with some Esme and Carlisle.

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**Chapter 7-Edward**

"_I got two hands and all they wanna do is hold you, I got two eyes and they're dying to watch you waking up, I got a kiss that'll get you thinking it's Saturday, I'll give you a reason, I'll give you a reason to stay." Reason To Stay- Brett Young_

I woke to find Bella and I are still tangled up in the hammock built into the deck. She's sound asleep but probably won't be for long at the rate which the sun is climbing over the mountains, trying to peek at the world.

I roll her closer to me and breathe in the delicious scent of her. Her skin is peony and macadamia nut, like she told me last night, but her hair is coconut and strawberries. Edible, she smells entirely edible. Since she's still knocked out, I take my opportunity and lay a kiss to the side of her face while I breath her in once more.

Last night was incredible, she made it amazing. I came to the island to have fun but I never expected to meet someone like Bella and have this kind of fun. That's not who I am, never have been a player, for many reasons. Mostly because of being in the spotlight, especially because I play at home in Georgia where my family can see and hear all my dirty secrets. I try to make it a point to not to have any dirty secrets. Not to mention, the Braves have a strict code of conduct policy for us players. So to say that Bella took me by surprise in the most amazing way is almost an understatement. Is this a vacation hook up or something more? It's definitely too soon to know all that but I can say without a doubt I want to spend more time with her.

An idea formulates as I lay and watch her sleep. We had planned to explore the island today, so there's no reason why I can't make sure Bella and Esme are with us when that happens. Esme wants to get to know Carlisle anyway, so it works out for all of us.

"Hey, Slugger. We better get up, at least get off the deck before someone sees us." I kiss her face and whisper into her ear. She's warm and cozy as she turns into my body slightly while she stretches. Her skin is flawless, no make up with just a hint of a sun glow already. Her long black eyelashes touch her cheeks as she struggles to come out of her sleep. Lips, pink and full, begging to be kissed again until they're swollen from pleasure. I run my nose along the shell of her ear, and whisper again. "You awake?" She groans this time. "I know, me too." I hug her closer. "But we're still on the deck, the sun's coming up, and I think I have rug burn on my back from the rope this hammock is made out of."

She stretches again, extending towards me even more, she kisses my jaw when she's reached full extension. I lean down into her as she does. I love how free she seems to be with her touches and affection. I had no idea how much I wanted them, needed them until I met Bella.

"It feels so good here, I don't want to get up." She whines, her hand makes contact with the bare skin of my stomach where my shirt has ridden up while we slept. Her hand halts it's path until I press my stomach further into her touch, then she continues her movement.

"You keep doing that and we might not make it up and out of this hammock anytime soon." We both move toward each other, partially because of the unstable surface we rest on, mostly just because we want to be closer. As soon as our lips touch, the kiss becomes heavy and sloppy. I pull back, last night under the cover of darkness was one thing but in full daylight, I don't think this is the best place for us to engage in this kind of activity. "Bella, we have to slow down."

She giggles against my mouth. "You sure do spend a lot of time thinking about where we are and what we're doing." Her mouth speaks of her hesitation to halt the kiss, but her lips pull away from mine. I immediately rethink my decision to stop us. I want her back, more than I should.

"Well, I mean, we didn't really venture into our weird kinks, maybe yours is exhibitionism. If so well, then carry on ma'am. By all means." I roll onto my back and lock my fingers behind my head to watch her. She smacks my chest with her tiny hand and moves to sit up. "Wait, no peep show?" I follow her up.

When we're both standing, I stop her movements. "I have an idea."

"Oh yeah?" She bounces her eyebrows up and down, very suggestively. It's my turn to laugh at her. She is my equal when it comes to middle school humor and sarcasm. My hands pull her hips closer, almost as if they had a mind of their own.

"We had planned to explore the island today, we had several stops mapped out. What if you and Esme came with us? You said she wanted to see Carlisle anyway, and I wouldn't be opposed to spending a little more time with you." Her face scrunches up like she's doing some heavy thinking.

"I'll have to ask her but I'm pretty sure her answer will be 'hell yes'. Wanna ask her?" She grabs my hand and moves toward the patio door. "Es, you awake?" She bellows.

"It's our fucking vacation, Bella, why can't you sleep late for once?" Esme bellows right back from behind her closed bedroom door.

Bella keeps marching toward said door. "Edward woke me up, that's why, you decent?" I hear a gasp, and frantic movements, then another door slam. Bella glances back at me, then opens Esme's bedroom door. I close my eyes, just in case. "Es, what are you doing?"

Behind the closed bathroom door comes a muffled, "Making myself presentable." There's probably a toothbrush involved in Esme's obviously impaired speech. Spitting and water running prove my theory to be true. A few seconds later the door flies open and Esme emerges.

Her long hair pulled up in a messy bun, soft and dewey skin- What? I listen to my mom and sister, I'm not a Neanderthal- she's probably about as perfect as she can be for Carlisle. Her height is just right and she has a free spirit about her that he definitely needs in his uptight life.

"Good morning, Bella." Esme shoots daggers at her, Bella just smirks. "Edward." She closes the few feet of distance between us, her hand held out to shake. I take it and make sure to grace her with a smile. I need Esme on my team when it comes to Operation Carlisle.

"Sorry to disturb you, I had no idea Bella was an Obnoxious Morning Person." I use my fingers to make the air quotes and everything. "I asked her if she has any plans and invited you both to join us in exploring the island. I think she was coming to ask."

Bella smacks my arm. "Standing right here, and I can hear you..." She states as Esme and I both laugh, she doesn't.

"See if I invite you on a grand adventures again." She speaks to Esme as I rub my arm where she smacked me, just before she turns and smacks Esme's arm. I grab both of Bella's hands and take them into mine, for both of our protection. Esme watches us closely.

"What Ms. Bella means is, we have a full day of island excursions and exploring planned and would love it if you two lovely ladies would like to accompany us." Bella struggles, barely, to get loose from my hands but gives up when I pull her close and wrap her in my arms. Esme's eyes are still glued on our movements.

"Yeah, what he said." She glances back to Esme's face when she speaks. "Can we go with them, you said you wanted to spend time with Carlisle."

Esme's eyes go wide and panic sets in. I chuckle.

"I seem to recall that Carlisle walked a few extra laps around the resort yesterday, seems like he was trying pretty hard to look real casual but I think he might have just been looking for someone. He was a sad little creature when he didn't find the person he was looking for though." Panic recedes from her face and a smile takes it's place.

"Where we going? How do I need to dress?" Esme asks while Bella does a happy dance in my arms.

"Bathing suits, short and t-shirts, tennis shoes. I'll be back in about 30 minutes. We'll grab breakfast and head out. Sound good?" Both heads nod at me in time. These two are in sync, let's hope that works for me and Carlisle, since we seem to match sync most times too.

I rush back to the cabana I share with Carlisle, like Bella and Esme's it's a two bedroom. Emmett is over on another dock, he has a one bedroom.

"Yo, Carlisle." I call as I rush into the cabana. "You dressed and ready to go explore?" I start to strip my sweats and t-shirt from last night off and I move toward the shower.

"Why are you yelling, of course I'm ready." I drop my underwear right outside the shower and step in. It's way colder than I usually like but I don't want to waste the time to allow the water to heat up. I want to be back with Bella as soon as possible. He steps into my room, and follows me into the bathroom. "Why is your ass always naked, no one wants to see that. And just where the hell were you last night?"

I push open the glass shower doors and flick some water at him. "If you have to know, I spent the night with Bella." I wait for the reaction, because I know there will be one. I just don't know if it will be favorable or pissed. Or both.

"What? When did you see Bella? Was Esme with her?" Ahh good, we're going with favorable.

I shut off the water and reach for a towel so when I step out I'm covered. "Well, after your pouting got to me, I went down to eat and saw her in the dining room. We ate and danced. She agreed to go out with me today." I see the confusion written on his face as he opens his mouth to speak. "I'm getting there." He closes his mouth and relaxes back against the bathroom countertop again. "I walked her home and asked her out. She said yes," I'm multitasking by brushing my teeth and getting my hair tamed as we talk. "When I got back here, I couldn't wait, so I called her cabana and she said I could come over. So I went," I shrug like it was no big deal but I can't lie to myself, it was a big deal to me. "I ended up staying the night." I leave the bathroom so I can throw on some clothes.

Board shorts and a t-shirt will do, I grab my wallet and sunglasses and I'm ready.

Carlisle has followed me around the room, a step or two behind me the whole time. "So that's all I get is that you stayed the night?" He can school his face but not his words, he's dying to know what happened.

"Well, I mean a gentleman doesn't kiss and tell." I shrug.

"Kiss and tell or Fuck and tell?" I cringe at the harsh wording he chooses. I guess it really could be called that, it was a quick frenzied round of sex. By most definitions that would be fucking, especially given the fact that we don't really know each other, but it just feels wrong to identify it as such.

"Hey, harsh much? Damn, yeah we slept together but you don't have to go full on crude with the language." I feel irrationally mad at Carlisle, and I can't really explain why.

"Hey, sorry. You're right, that was out of line." He reaches out and touches my arm so I'll look up at him. "I'm sorry. Did you enjoy your evening with Bella?" I snicker at him, sometimes he's such a dork. But he's my friend so I put up with him.

"Yeah, I did." I answer honestly. "Maybe more than I should have."

"Why, what happened?" Carlisle asks with genuine concern.

"Nothing like that, I should just be keeping it very casual since this is a vacation fling but I don't know. Bella's something else. It just seems wrong to only think of her in that basic, temporary way. You know?"

"Yeah, I hear ya." Before we can go too deep with feelings, I slap his arm and start toward the door.

"Come on, C, let's go pick up our girls and have some fun!"

"Wait, what? Girls?" He stops just inside the cabana door, frozen in place.

"Oh yeah, I forgot, Bella and Esme are joining us. Let's go!"

He moves, very reluctantly, but I can see the excitement in his eyes. Carlisle might not be so deep into his depression after all, at least not when he spends the day with Miss Sass herself.

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Songs- Reason To Stay- Brett Young


	8. Chapter 8 Holiday

**I have no excuse except life's been busy...oh yeah, and it's Baseball season. I promise I have tons of prewritten chapters for you all, and they're even edited! Yay! Now back to some of my favorite baseball players...**

**Chapter 8- Bella**

"_You make me wanna make a margarita, You make me wanna put on my shades, You take me on a trip around the world, Don't need to hop on a plane, When I'm with you girl it's like I'm on vaca, I guess what I'm trying to say is, You make every day like a holiday." Holiday- Chris Young_

Edward and Carlisle showed up at our door about 35 minutes later. Esme and I were both ready, we opted for sunscreen instead of make up, pony tail and bathing suits so we were prepared for fun.

We grabbed breakfast burritos and left the resort on mopeds. Obviously I chose to ride with my man, so that leaves Esme to hold on tightly to Carlisle as we zip around people as we make our way to the markets.

Edward is wearing a pair of board shorts but he's pulled his t-shirt off as we drive. He says he didn't want a farmer's tan, but I think it's so I could put my hands right on his skin, instead of holding on through his shirt. I won't lie, I'm not sad that his incredible set of abs are on display for my eyes to feast on and my hands to rest on.

Apparently the few hours of sleep I got was not enough, because on our ride to the market I rested my head on Edward's warm shoulder and looked out at the lush green scenery. Every so often his head would tilt back and kiss me, or his arms would flex and hold my arms closer for a few seconds. I loved that he was okay with physical affection, I was and always had been a touchy feely person.

My parents were that way, always hugging, kissing or holding hands. Nothing graphic but you definitely knew they were in love with each other. A forever kind of love. I knew from a small age as I watched my dad take care of and love my mom with all his heart that I would marry a man who was comfortable enough with affection. At the time I didn't know that's what it amounted to but now I do.

We haven't talked much about families when we're together, but I get the feeling that he's close with his family. There is an ease about him that screams that he came from a well adjusted, loving home. I feel so at odds with this concept, because for so many years I had that picture of perfection, and then my world was ripped apart. It was like the first half of my life was erased and I had a new reality. Both sides feel at home and yet foreign in my memories. It makes me more determined to find a man who is dead set on getting and staying married. Providing a stable home life for my kids so they have one set of memories instead of two.

"Hey, where'd you go?" Edward asks over his shoulder.

I kiss his warm skin, and smile. Even without eye contact he could feel my distance. How does he do that in such a short amount of time?

"I'm here, just thinking." My lips ghost across his skin, slowly. I feel his shiver as it runs up his spine.

"Good things?" His smile is devious. Well, I'm definitely thinking 'good things' now.

"Well now I am." He chuckles deeply that I feel against my chest. Every single thing he does just continues to turn the heat up between us. Bit by bit, eventually it's going to devour us, I just know it. The problem is not the devouring part, it's in knowing I'm okay with it.

"We're almost there." He tilts his chin as I see the street widen and open up to a large outdoor market. It's not crowded but it certainly has more people than our little resort does. There seems to be all sorts of items from handmade crafts to food. I can't wait to get off the scooter and look around.

When we come to a stop I pull my hair brush out and run it through my hair, I pass it to Esme when I'm done. Carlisle and Edward are running their fingers through theirs. So I pass along the brush to them, as well. We set off shopping.

Edward reaches over and holds my hand while we walk. Esme and Carlisle are a little more hesitant but they are definitely walking closer than two people who don't like each other would. Her eyes are lit up and conversation has flowed between them almost constantly since we left the resort. I couldn't hear what was said as we drove here but I could definitely tell that they talked incessantly. I'm so happy for Esme, she's had to work so hard and focus on her career that she hasn't really had time to focus on her social life, much less her love life. I know she's ready to settle down and start a family. I just pray that it happens for her, she deserves the life she's dreamed of and so much more.

"Cute, huh?" His hip bumps my hip as he tilts his chin in Carlisle and Esme's direction.

"Yeah, I hope she has a good time, she's worked so hard and she deserves a good time where she can focus on just her." I don't want to give away too many of Esme's secrets but she deserves it for sure.

"Carlisle too. He's coming out of a dark place, I think she'll be good for him, if he'll just relax and allow her to lead him." I glance at Carlisle and take in his face. He has kind eyes and an infectious smile, but at the edges you can see the pain and hurt etched. In between the jokes and laughter, the hard edges show. Esme is perfect for him, she never allows anyone to focus on negativity. She can see the bright side of anything and laughs her way till she gets to the bright side.

"What about you, any dark places in your past?" I ask as I pick up a handmade doll and buy a couple for my younger sister. He waits for me to finish my transaction and place the dolls in my big purse before he talks.

"Nothing really. A few sad times when I've lost friends, but over all a normal life." He takes my hand and pulls me close. "Wanna talk about yours?" He asks. We touched on my dad some last night at dinner.

"I mean, how do you even talk about such a life altering thing? There's so many emotions, and thoughts that you go through, even now. I think of things that will happen, my college graduation, and getting married, and my kids coming along and all those will happen without my dad. I don't know how to feel about that, you know?" I don't want to bring the mood down but I don't want to brush off his question like it means nothing either.

"My sister, Alice, is a sports psychologist. And I've heard her say many times that we have to focus on the good times when they were with us, and remember that they are still with us so whatever we go through they are still here going through it with us."

"That's a good way to look at it, I never thought of that." My watery smile grows as I think about my dad always being with me. "He did used to say, 'no matter what, Slugger, no matter how old you get, I'll always be here'." Edward's smile is a mixture of sweet and sadness. "Tell your sister thanks for me, that helps."

"I will." We walk in silence, each of us picking up items and looking around. Carlisle and Esme are still talking up a storm. I can't help but smile every time I hear their laughter behind us.

When we reach the end of the market, my purse is loaded down with souvenirs for everyone. Some fresh fruit for us and a few sweets for Edward and I to share later. Edward, Esme and Carlisle each have a bag stuffed full of souvenirs as well.

Carlisle told us about his three kids as he showed us what he bought for them. Esme's eyes lit up at the mention of kids. We move on when he whips out his phone and starts with the pictures and videos. I can almost hear Esme's ovaries screaming from this far away. I don't know Carlisle's story but I sure do see the check marks appearing on Esme's bucket list for a man. He might just have them all, well that is until we see his feet. Esme has a weird thing of not dating men with ugly feet. There's a story there but I can't remember it all so I tune it out. I just listen and hand over the ice cream when she comes over crying about breaking up with them for foot reasons.

"Dear Lord, What smells so good?" I lift my nose and sniff the air. "It smells like fresh donuts, I want one." I drag Edward with me. For several blocks I follow my nose until we find a cafe with pastries, donuts and coffee. I take our bags and find a table while Edward goes to order us some donuts and coffee.

We sit and people watch until Carlisle and Esme find us.

"Okay, ladies and gentlemen, let's head to our next destination." Carlisle says as we gather our trash and head back to the scooters. "Emmett and Rosalie will be waiting for us at our next stop."

"I was going to ask where he was." I reply. When Esme climbs on the moped behind Carlisle, I take notice that she scoots as close as she can to him.

"Rosalie works at the resort and she had to cover a partial shift for someone so he waited for her and they'll meet us in a few minutes." Edward explains. "I swear he's ready to marry her, she's Blonde, she plays Fortnite, which he's obsessed with, and she cooks. We might have to be witnesses for them." We all laughed but I couldn't help but wonder, could it be that easy?

I was quiet the entire ride to our next stop. Edward was as well, maybe we were both in our heads, who knew. I certainly wasn't going to ask him what he was thinking because I didn't want to have the question turned back on me. I was saved from answering anything because the moped slowed and turned down a tree lined drive. Emmett and Rosalie wait for us on a wide front porch beside a blue door that reads, 'Maldives Animal Preserve'.

We spend several hours walking from animal to animal, we see sting rays, turtles, and every color of fish in the rainbow. We decided not to swim out and look at the coral reef a few hundred feet off shore.

The three couples got along well, and Rosalie's sass sure fit in well with mine and Esme's. She had a temper, but she loved to joke around so it only came out once or twice to reign Emmett in some.

The sun was beginning to set when we drove away from the Animal Preserve. Carlisle pulled up beside us and shouted over to Edward. "We're gonna head over to the beach to watch the sunset." He tilted his chin towards the right. We could see a small slice of the beach between the dunes.

"Okay, we'll meet you back at the resort later then?" Carlisle nodded.

Esme's smile was massive and her arms seemed to adjust just a bit tighter around Carlisle's waist. He veered off and Emmett's moped took his place.

"What's up with them?" Emmett called out.

"They're going to watch the sunset at that beach, I'm thinking that's not a bad idea. Wanna come?" Emmett peeked over his shoulder at Rosalie. She just shrugged.

"Okay, let's do it."

We ditched our shoes on our blanket and walked down to the edge of the water. Even this late in the evening it was still so warm on our toes. I turn to face Edward, he's so much taller than I am, that even on my tip-toes he has to bend down slightly to allow me to kiss him. He turns me in his arms and runs his nose along my shoulder blade. "So this is the infamous tattoo, huh?" It takes me a minute to remember our conversation at the restaurant.

"Yeah, that's it." He pulls away a little and runs his finger down then back up my spine as he traces it.

"I like it, it's sexy." He kisses at the very top of the tattoo, and pulls me close to him again. Neither of us wanted to get wet so we trailed back up to the beach and sat on the still warm sand. I wrapped a blanket around our shoulders and we leaned in close together. The silence laid between us like a well loved pet, comforting and understanding. The time we had together, watching the sunset and on the island, were fleeting and it felt good to know that we didn't have to fill it with wasted words just to make ourselves feel better.

"You ready to head out?" The break in silence is almost jarring, even though the words were barely above a whisper.

"Yeah, I want to get some sand from the beach to take home with me, though." I stand and walk toward the edge of the water where the small waves broke.

I pull a glass bottle out and scoop enough sand into it to take home and to remember the trip by.

"Hey, where'd you get that?" Edward asks.

"I bought a set of them today at the market, when you and Carlisle were talking about fishing, why?" I add a little more sand and push the cork topper back on it.

"You have another one?" He reaches to the slight bulge in my pocket where the extra bottle rested.

"Yeah, why, you want it?" I ask.

"I do." His hand extends and I place the bottle in it. I like the fact that somewhere in the world will be a bottle of sand that matches mine. Forever tied together, even though they are miles apart.

Edward bends and scoops up some sand for his bottle as well, he packs it full and stands to face me. "Now, we have matching bottles." His smile is infectious, and his sentiment is perfect.

"That's exactly what I was thinking." I lean towards him. He draws me closer and wraps an arm around my shoulders, placing a kiss on my temple.

"See, we've been together long enough we're even starting to think alike." I burst out laughing and smack his stomach with the back of my hand.

"You've had too much sun exposure, you're delirious now. Let's get you indoors." We lace our fingers together and quietly climb back up the dunes to the moped.

Our plans were to go back to the resort to all have dinner together, but I noticed that Emmett and Carlisle's mopeds were gone. Looks like we are on our own for the evening, and I wasn't sad about it.

Being with Edward felt so natural. He had a calm ease about him that made you feel like you knew him your whole life, but his fun loving nature would rival any comedian for sure. And don't even get me started on that sweet southern drawl or those beautiful deep green eyes that seemed to have a direct path to my soul. Touching, oh my gosh, the touching. I loved a man who was touchy freely, and a good hugger. It showed a vulnerability when someone is comfortable drawing you in to their personal space. Plus there was something about the roughened skin on his fingers that sent shivers running up and down my spine when he touched me.

Edward was definitely a catch and I was glad he liked my bait!

LMWM—-LMWM

Songs- Holiday- Chris Young


	9. Chapter 85 Standing In Front Of You

**Here's a small sampling of Esme and Carlisle for your reading pleasure!**

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Chapter 8.5 Standing In Front of You

"_You said yes and danced before, And got your feelings hurt, You say most days you're good, It's not so bad in this room, Watching rain today, Even though it's clear and sunny, And your fight is so hard, How to tell if it's real or not, Take a breath and listen, Open up stop wishin', All that you've been missing, Standing in front of you." Standing In Front Of You- Kelly Clarkson_

Esme-

I tentatively walk towards the guys. Bella and Edward know exactly where they stand. Carlisle, well, he's an enigma wrapped up in a riddle. His eyes scream fun loving but there's hurt there, deep hurt. Will he let go enough to have fun and enjoy himself, or will I spend the whole vacation begging him to do those two simple actions?

I square my shoulders and paste a huge smile on my face and approach him.

"Hey, hope you don't mind but Edward volunteered you to drive me around the island." He's checking the moped, but he looks up from the corner of his eyes to meet mine.

"Yeah, he told me." Hmm, a man of few words.

"I can rent my own if I need to." I lay a hand on his arm. His eyes focus on the place where our skin meets. I see his shoulders move as he sucks in a deep breath. Indecision rolls off of him like a Tsunami wave. My heart aches for his, he's obviously suffered deeply. I want to take him in my arms and just hold him.

The silence isn't awkward, yet, but his lack of an answer really tells me what he's thinking.

I pull my hand away and plaster a fake smile on my face to reassure him. "I'll go grab one." I turn to secure my own moped. His dismissal doesn't deliver a fatal blow but I'm certainly feeling the sting.

"Hey," He reaches and stops me by taking my wrist. His large, warm hand closes around mine easily. His size is a huge turn on, but it's more than that. It's his balance of size and power with his clear vulnerability. He needs a good woman behind him, encouraging him, building his confidence so he can go out and use his size to tackle the world.

Our eyes meet, his hurt that was previously there was replaced by indecision, and now it changes to surrender. "Don't do that, you can share with me." His thumb rubs along the soft underside of my wrist, sparks seem to trail his movements.

I chance a glance over at Bella and Edward, they are locked in each other's arms, all wrapped up in their own bubble. Carlisle follows my eyes and pulls his hand away when he spots our friends. My hand stops his retreat.

"Hey, we're not them. We can just be us and that's fine with me. I have zero expectations here." I slide my hand up his arm some and wrap my fingers around his sexy forearm muscle. "Let's just enjoy the day and see where it takes us, okay?" A slow smile from his sexy lips tells me I've said the right thing. No words are uttered by him but a nod gives his acceptance.

"Hey, slow pokes, y'all ready?" Edward yells from across the parking lot.

My back is turned to them now so I feel comfortable saying my peace. "That Boy is damn country, and I'm from Texas so that says a lot." Carlisle just snorts a laugh through his lips.

"You have no idea, Esme, really." My name on his lips makes me want to do dirty things to him, but clearly it's too soon to tell him these sorts of thoughts, so I hold them in.

Carlisle lifts his leg and climbs on the moped, then holds out a hand to help me on as well. I take his hand and feel his thumb caress my skin as I situate myself on the back of the moped behind him.

"You on?" He asks over his shoulder.

"Yeah." I notice two things. His eyelashes are so long and his jawline is totally lickable from this angle.

"You have to hold on to me, maybe you should scoot closer, I don't want you to fall off." He's turned back to watch Edward and Bella take off, so I can only see the very corner of his mouth, but it's enough to know he's wearing a huge smile.

I scoot closer and re-situate myself, Carlisle's right hand sneaks back to my hip and pulls me even closer.

_Oh that's how he wants to play it, alrighty then._

I lift and place my body directly against his entire back. There is no air, no daylight, no possible space between us now. I wait for his response, but none comes. He just gives a slight head nod and starts the moped.

When he guns the engine and takes off, I hold him a little tighter. I'm dying to lift his t-shirt and touch his warm skin, to run my hand along the chiseled abs I'm sure are underneath the simple cotton fabric. But I don't, afraid to scare him off.

I'm a lot to handle, I know this. I have no control over this, I simply know myself and what I want. To some men that's intimidating, I hope Carlisle isn't in that category. I hope he's confident enough to see my bold personality for what it is.

"Look." His hand points off in the distance as his voice drifts back to me. We're passing a clearing in the jungle of trees and can see down to the water. It's so crystal clear that we can see a school of fish swimming around the cove. It's absolutely breathtaking.

"Wow." I gasp. I lean slightly closer to Carlisle and place my chin on his shoulder. His hand slips back and holds me against him.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" I just nod. "One day I'll have to bring my kids here, they would love this, they're water babies, for sure." I feel his back muscles tense as he speaks. It's almost as if he's mentioned his kids by accident, as if he's so used to talking about them that his brain automatically mentions them without hesitation.

"I'd love to hear about them, how many kids do you have?" As if I thought he couldn't get any more perfect, he mentioned the one thing that could make him more desirable in my mind.

"Uhm, three?" His voice waivers slightly on the simple single syllable word.

"You are so lucky." I gasp. My heart would be overflowing with love if I had three kids. "How old are they?"

"6,3, and one. Two girls and a boy in the middle." I can see the barest spark in his eyes when he talks about his kids. It's clear they're everything to him. And I can understand why, all that he has is my every goal at this very moment.

"What are their names?" I inch a little closer so I can hear him over the wind that whips past us.

"Charlotte, Peter, and Maggie. They're the best kids. So amazing, Charlotte is such a little girlie girl. And Peter wants to do everything I do. Maggie, she's still at that stage where she learns so much, every single day she does something new she couldn't do the day before." My heart and ovaries both squee with delight. I can close my eyes and almost picture them.

"They sound amazing." Wistful longings color every single syllable I speak.

He does a double take, confusion written on his face, it's clear even though I can only see his profile.

"I've always wanted kids, I'm a natural mother." I duck my face a bit, some people understand and some don't. I want to assume Carlisle does since he seems to adore his kids, but assuming will get you into a lot of trouble. There are those men who assume when you say you want kids, you mean I want your money for the next 18 years. Clearly that's not the case, but how do I explain that to a man I'm only planning to have a vacation fling with. "I've achieved all my goals as far as my career goes, so now I want to focus on my home life." I offer. Maybe this will show him my intentions, I want a life. A husband, a home, and kids. Not a 'Baby Daddy' who will do nothing but make my life miserable and fuck with my kids head.

Carlisle turns his head and nods slightly at me. Worry invades my mind, I over think this subject. It drives me crazy, I'm not an over thinker so the few occasions it happens, it makes me insane.

Just as I open my mouth to explain more, his hand drops to my right knee and he tucks his fingers between my leg and the vinyl seat. His thumb caresses in small circles and all worry and doubt flies away with the wind. Relief settles in my soul as I relax against Carlisle's back as we ride.

My mind wants to contemplate what could come of this, but I shut the thoughts down. He's gorgeous, he's mature, and he loves kids, but he lives at the bottom end of the continent. He's not even in the same country for crying out loud.

I don't have any more time to dwell on where we each are in life and how scared I made him about my need to have babies because we reached the market. Carlisle reaches for my hand and helps me off the moped when we come to a stop in the make shift parking lot. As we make our way into the market, he takes my hand and intertwines our fingers. I catch his shy smile from the corner of my eye. I can't lie, it's taking all I have in me not to giggle behind my hand like I'm in elementary school.

"Hey, do you think Charlotte and Maggie will like these?" He asks as he holds two sweet little dolls that are obviously handmade. I walk closer to him and take one of the dolls. I look her over. Her face is hand painted, her simple cotton dress is hand sewn, her hair is braided down each side of her head, and she is beautiful. One doll has lighter colored dress but both have blonde hair.

"They should, these are so pretty. But uhm..." I hesitate.

Carlie's eyes go wide and he has a look of panic on his face. "What?" He asks.

"Do the girls have the same colored hair?" I hold up both dolls. His face relaxes. "Because a girl wants a doll that's just like her so if they have different colored hair then you should but a different doll for each one." His face takes on an incredulous look.

"How do you know this shit?" He asks and takes both dolls from me.

I motion to my chest and wait for him to stop and look at me. "Uhm, I'm a girl, I know this shit from experience." He chuckles and shakes his head slightly. I watch his sexy ass as he walks away to go to pay for the dolls. He stops suddenly and walks back to me.

"Thanks, Esme." He pulls back and searches my eyes before he continues. "I mean that." He smiles and grabs my hand again. I feel a slight squeeze and immediately feel a blush cover my cheeks.

"Sure, it's no big deal. I'm happy to help." I follow behind him like a puppy following food as he makes his way back to the lady who will take his money.

We purchase a wooden carved train whistle for Peter and meet up with Edward and Bella. Everyone pulls out their souvenirs to begin the show and tell. Carlisle goes last as he shows off the dolls, he grabs his pocket and pulls out his phone. "Hey, Esme, look." He scrolls through and stops at a picture of all three kids sitting on the beach in sand, half buried. He was right, both girls have pretty much the same colored honey blond hair. Peter's is darker.

"Wow, they are beautiful." I'm mesmerized and instantly in love. He scrolls through and shows me about a million pictures and videos he's taken or had taken with him and the kids. It's clear he's 100% devoted to them. His face is totally different in the pictures where he's looking at the kids. It's a softer, loving version of the face he shows to everyone else. As handsome as he is, and trust me he's one of the most beautiful men I've ever seen, he's even more beautiful when he's with his children.

The rest of the time at the market, the cafe, and on the way to the animal preserve, we do the get to know you question and answer thing, so we can learn more about each other.

After we leave the Animal Preserve, we end up at the beach. Emmett and Rosalie, and Edward and Bella both branch off to their own section of the beach. It leaves Carlisle and I all alone. For some reason I feel like someone took the pressure off suddenly. I know we've basically been alone most of the day, but I can still feel the looks from the other four, the questions rolling around in their heads, wondering if we are getting along. It's nice to just be the two of us now so we can just be.

And I can't lie, I'm stoked to be at the beach, as a long time resident of Vancouver, I don't see a beach much, especially with my profession. An idea pops into my head. I grab Carlisle's hand and put on my most sincere set of puppy dog eyes. "Hey, you should let me bury you like the kids were in that picture."

"What? Are you serious?" I see panic running loose in his mind.

"Yes!" I jump up and down, pleading.

"But we don't have any shovels or anything to dig with." He offers. I'm not hearing any of it.

"Carlisle, are you scared or something?" I have brothers so I know the fastest way to make a guy do something is to ask if they are afraid of doing it. It's like it flips that testosterone switch and forces their pride to step up and prove they are most definitely not scared.

"No, not scared at all. Let's go." He grabs my hand and moves rapidly toward the deserted beach. We both bend and dig a slight trench for his body to fit into and then he lays down. I begin to push dirt back up over him. He's quiet while I work but I feel his eyes looking me up and down. I stay silent, it's almost a serene feeling knowing we can be together without words.

When he's completely covered, I pat the moist sand tightly down onto his frame. I don't want him breaking out before it's time. I have plans for him, now that I have him incapacitated.

"Well now, now. Looks like I have you at my mercy, now what you gonna do, Hot Shot?" I grin evilly and tap my fingers together one by one.

"Well that depends, what is it you plan to do with me?" I have to give him credit because he could so easily break out of the sand tomb I've put him in yet he hasn't. He's patiently waiting on me.

"A little of this and a lot of that." I say as I slowly descend towards his reclining face. I press a small kiss to his right cheek, and lean in to place a matching kiss to his left cheek. I run my fingers through his wind blown hair and push it away from his face to give me more space to kiss. His skin is flawless and his features are totally relaxed. So I place another kiss closer to his mouth. He doesn't press, he allows me to lead. Never one to back down, I place a quick kiss to his lips. When I pull away I see his eyes still closed and his lips pursed to continue the kiss.

I take his jawline into both my hands and lean down to fully kiss him. He's expecting it this time and he kisses me back, very tentatively at first but he let's go of his control as the kiss goes on. I pull back and suck his lower lip in between mine as he parts his lips. His warm breath mingles with mine and I hear the slightest moan in the back of his throat. I brush his hair back again and run my hand along his throat. When I close the distance between us, I lead with my tongue. Carlisle instantly opens for me and kisses me back. I feel the matching smile on the corners of our mouths. Our tongues mingle until I'm out of breath and half laying on Carlisle's sarcophagus of sand.

It's official, I'm a slut. I'm making out with a sand man! I burst out in giggles and pull away from his face.

"Esme, you can't break out into laughter while kissing a man, it's not good for his self esteem. Trust me." Carlisle laments as I look down on him.

"Oh, no, Sexy, I'm not laughing at you, trust me. What you make me want to do to you, in public no less," I glance around to make sure that no one else has arrived on our beach while I was otherwise engaged. "Is no laughing matter." I might as well be honest with him, he deserves that much.

"You? What it does to you? Esme, let me just say that I sure am glad there's a shit ton of sand covering my body if you know what I mean." I can't help myself, I glance down and realize there's a small crack right over his crotch. I roll over onto my back in fits of laughter for real at the sight.

"What, Esme, What? What's so funny? Oh God, is it poking out?" He sits up frantically and rushes to cover himself.

Tears are streaming at this point, Carlisle is so damn funny without ever really trying to be, he just is.

"No, it's not poking out but there was a..." His eyes go wide and his panic amps up again. I reach for his hands and take them into mine. "I'm sorry, so sorry, no it's was just a tiny crack in the sand that's all. I swear."

"Come on, Woman, I'll show you a tiny crack in the sand." He stands and dusts off the sand from his clothes, then grabs my hand and pulls me back up the beach towards our moped.

I think me and Carlisle are about to go get cleaned up and immediately get dirty again, and I can't wait.

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LMWM—-LMWM

Songs- Standing In Front Of You- Kelly Clarkson

If No one Will Listen- Kelly Clarkson

Read on for the next Bella and Edward chapter!


	10. Chapter 9 Slow Hands

**Hope you enjoyed that little Esme and Carlisle chapter, now heres some more Edward and Bella for you!**

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**Chapter 9- Bella**

"_Slow, Slow hands, Like sweat dripping down our dirty laundry, No no chance, That I'm leaving here without you on me, I I know, Yeah I already know that there ain't no stopping your plans, And those slow hands, Slow hands." Slow Hands- Niall Horan _

When we finally make it back to the resort we are too tired to do anything but fall straight into bed. Edward and I come back to mine and Esme's cabana, and leave Esme and Carlisle in the guy's cabana.

Esme and I know each other on a soul deep level and I have no hesitation in leaving her alone with Carlisle, I haven't seen her smile this much, ever. And Carlisle seemed to relax more and more as the day went on. By the end they had their own inside jokes, and their hands were constantly in contact with one another. I'm so happy for her, she deserves this and so much more.

"Hey." Edward quietly calls to me from my bedroom. I step through the bathroom door and stand on the cool bamboo floor and see his long length stretched out in my bed. "You okay, you seemed to be taking awhile?" He almost seems nervous.

"Yeah, just thinking about Carlisle and Esme. I'll be right out." I lazily turn and pad back into the bathroom. My actions are slow and sluggish after all the sun and activity we had today. I definitely feel the soft, fluffy bed calling me.

My eyes wander over my body in the mirror as I brush my teeth. I see the red sun as it settles on my skin from all our time outside today. I'm going to need some lotion tonight. A small smile creeps across my face. Me heading out to the bedroom with lotion is either going to go really well or really naughty. Either way I'll have a great time, so I drop the toothbrush back into the holder and grab the lotion on the way back to Edward .

My long t-shirt covers me from shoulders to knees. He has no idea if I wear anything else beneath it and to his credit he hasn't even tried to sneak up under it to see for himself. Such a good boy, that I'm about to corrupt. He's reading a book when I reach my side of the bed. I quietly lay the lotion down and pull my hair over one shoulder to braid it up.

Nimble fingers make quick work of the braid, and then pull my t-shirt up and off of my body. I'm left in my boy shorts underwear as I slide into bed. Edward takes notice of my lack of attire. His book falls slack in his lap and he turns his head to give me his full attention.

"Would you help me put lotion on my back and shoulders?" I look over my shoulder at him, angling the lotion towards him.

"Absolutely, come here." He scoots just left of center and pats the bed right in front of him. I slide to him. "Lay on your stomach." He murmurs against my shoulder. My grin is probably 100% wicked but I don't even care, I immediately turn over and stretch out. He pulls the sheet up to the top of my underwear and tucks it around me.

I hear the cap of the lotion flip open and the suctioning squirt. My muscles brace for shocking cold lotion but I'm pleased to find warm, smooth hands instead. He's obviously warmed it up first, definitely a smart man.

His large hands start at the line drawn by the crisp, white sheet and works upward from there. Every inch of my dry skin is lathered with creamy lotion. I'm relaxed as his hands soothe across my tired, sore muscles. I tuck the fluffy pillow under my face and turn my head to the side so he can rub my neck. The rough skin of his fingers is smoothed out by the lotion, the mix of sensations sets a small fire deep in my soul. Suddenly I'm hoping that he makes this more than a little lotion on my back.

His thumbs press right at the base of my skull and slide, gently, up the back of my scalp and back down. "Mmmm," slips past my lips.

"Good?" It's a ridiculous question, but I answer it anyway.

"So good. Keep going." My words could mean so many different things, I give Edward the lead way to decide which definition he wants to assume.

His thumbs meet on my spine and travel back to the sheet. I arch upward like a fat house cat being petted as he moves lower. His lips press a quick kiss to the base of my spine as his hands slip my panties off my hips. I arch up further to help him make room. As I lift my knees and he slips the panties completely off of me, he moves in between my slightly spread legs.

I should feel wanton and shameful, but I don't. This wasn't the direction I imagined the night ending but I'm not going to change our course. I promised Esme I'd enjoy myself and I intend to fulfill that promise.

"I'm so wet, right now, touch me." I whisper. My hips raise and his lips meet them. He places small kisses across the small of my back as his hand slowly, lightly drifts down to between my legs. He follows the swell of my ass cheeks and smoothes down the inside of my legs, all great places to caress but not where I want them to touch. Edward obviously enjoys a little torture with his love.

"Umff." I want him to know my frustration and need. The smile stretches his lips, I feel it as he kisses a shushing noise across my skin. My hips do a frustrated shake.

"I've got you, baby, trust me. I'll take care of you, I promise." All desire to control his movements leave me and I relax. As soon as he feels my acquiesce to his demands, his hands slide between my legs. One finger slides up and down, tracing my opening. No pressure, no fancy tricks, just light constant touches. And boy does it work, it pushes my body to the breaking point faster than I can actually form the thought. Deeper and deeper he works his finger, until his finger tip is actually inside me and the pad of his finger is circling my opening.

I want to press against him, to push him deep inside me, to control our movements and take what I need. That would satisfy my body, but I feel like waiting to see what he will do next will give me more satisfaction than anything I would ever think to do to myself. So I relax and just feel.

Edward's fingertip makes one last pass around my opening, gathering my juices and using it to allow his finger to glide right to the throbbing button that controls all my pleasure. He repeats his actions on my clit. Small, slow circles around it, not quite touching it, but just close enough that I can imagine what it would feel like if he did touch it. His finger moves infinitesimally closer until it's circling in one spot. Each circle rips my body in a million different directions, my brain doesn't know which direction to focus so I just throw all thoughts aside and simply feel.

His mouth is against my skin, leaving the wet, sucking kisses he's so good at. Warm, sweet breath blowing across me as he speaks in hushed whispers, probably words of encouragement. Strong fingers driving my pleasure through the roof. Another hand holding my hips so softly, the dichotomy of his actions send me right over the edge. My body convulses with pleasure as Edward soothes me back to earth.

"Come 'ere." He pulls my body upright and slips himself so smoothly inside me. His body molded to mine, no space between us. His arms hold me tight as his body worships mine. I can feel his muscles ripple as he pushes his hips back into contact with mine. Our sweat mingles and creates the glue that hold us together in this moment. Skin on skin, it fells like more than it probably should to me. The physical connection is powerful, it has worked my body directly back up to the cliff of pleasure that every woman seeks to arrive at. But the emotional bond wraps us up in a place that we shouldn't be for two people that live in different countries with no way to pursue this relationship past this island.

"Oh, Bella." Edward kisses my neck so gently as his body shudders behind me. I fall right behind him. Tears of pleasure mix with the tears of confusion and they both run quietly down the side of my face. Thankfully, he can't see my face from his position, so I wipe them on the pillow and pretend that it was just good, really good sex.

"Stay still, I'll be right back." The cool air that I would normally be thankful for, now makes me feel forlorn. I have to shut this shit down, as soon as possible.

Edward returns with a warm wash cloth and cleans us both up. I turn in his arms and snuggle into his chest as I listen to his heartbeat slow.

"Bella, I'm not sure I deserve you." His words echo in my ears and cause a slight stutter in my heartbeat, maybe he feels the same thing I feel when we connect, or hell even when we just spend time together.

"Not possible, I'm sure of it." His arms wrap around me and he places a kiss on the side of my head.

"Whatever you say, Slugger."

When I wake up the next morning, Edward is still snuggled close and still sound asleep. I watch his expressionless face and wonder what his life is like in Atlanta. Who are his friends, what does he do when he hangs out with them? How often does he see his family, are they close? Is he happy? He certainly seems to be, a smile is never far from his face and his laugh sounds as often as his words.

How would I fit into his life? Would he want me to give up all the parts of me that make me happy? Would I have space to see my friends and pursue my aspirations? Before I can get too far into my own head, his eyes flutter open. They make contact with mine and I can't help but give a sheepish grin, I've been busted.

"Good morning, Sunshine." His smile settles in and his eyes flutter back closed. "I know it's way later than it should be. Somehow I seem to sleep too long when I'm around you. You're a terrible influence." He smacks my naked butt with his big hand. I act offended but it really just turns me on. "Oh. No, not that face. You're gonna kill me, Slugger. For sure." He pulls me close and kisses my temple. 'How did you sleep?" He asks.

"Great, you?" Sure do wish I had the ability to read minds right about now.

"Never better, something about all this rest, sunshine and you that makes me really tired by the time bedtime rolls around. Don't know what it is but you three are a deadly combo." I bark out a laugh. Oh I know.

"Well, maybe us girls should go off and spend the day alone today. Give you a little rest time, you know, to recoup and all. You are a lot older than me, it's probably your age getting to you." I push away from his body as I speak.

"Well, now hold on. I've already planned our day and there no need to be hasty. I kinda like you." I allow myself to be pulled back into his arms, and snuggled back in with him.

"What did you have in mind?" I glance up at him, I marvel at how far his eyelashes extend. Stuff a girl would die for!

"Well, a boat trip out to a deserted island that will be all ours today, and then dinner and dancing. Rosalie is off so she'll be able to come so it will be all six of us."

"Sure. Let's do it." I push away to start getting dressed, but Edward is having no part of it.

"We've got time, baby, stay here." My insides melt at his term of endearment.

"Don't you need to go run or something?" I kick myself as the words are falling out of my mouth.

Edward glances down at me. "You trying to get rid of me?"

"No, I mean, you just usually talk about going for a run first thing in the morning, so I just wondered. That's all." He chuckles.

"Well, this is my vacation, and I have been pretty active since I've been here. So I can skip a run today and just lay here with you." The last few words are spoken as he hops over on top of me and pins my hands to the bed in one of his hands. The other drops to my sides as he skims along the very spot that gets me every time. How does he know these things? "Besides, I do remember something about being old?" His fingers dig in for sure.

"Oh my gosh,Edward, stop." Is what I say but it comes out more as 'Stahhhhp' All breathless and such.

"But you're so sexy all worked up and giggling, too sexy." He kisses the column of my throat and I instantly freeze. His soft scruff-beard feels so different than anything I've ever felt before. So erotic against my sensitive skin.

His eyes meet mine and we take a second to just stare deep into each other's soul. Then his finger dig right back into my side and tickle me again.

"Oh you are so paying for that, mister." I try with all my might to fight back but it's just no use. He's too strong, too big to fight. So I kiss him instead. That ends the fight.

Our tongues tangle but we stop it at that point, we both seem content with just kissing today. When our make out session has slowed to just gentle touches, Edward takes a deep breath and slowly lets it out. "I'm worried."

"How so?" I try not to jump to conclusions.

He tips my chin up so our eyes meet. "I'm not sure I'm supposed to feel this much, this soon." He breaks our gaze and stares off out the open patio door.

"Yeah, me too." The weight of our statement falls down on us like a heavy winter blanket. "I've never done this before, I'm not sure I'm good at it." I admit.

"See that's the problem, in my eyes, you're too good at it." I let his words sink in.

"I don't want to hurt you, I swear. I'm just as shocked as you are by this." I wave my hand between us.

"I didn't mean to sound accusatory, I'm sorry. I meant it as a compliment, that's all." His gaze holds mine, his smile is easy and natural. A small mass of butterflies let loose in my belly.

"Well, well, well, look who's lazy asses are still in bed!" Esme all but shouts as she makes her way towards my room. I hear a second set of footsteps and assume it's Carlisle.

Both faces appear in the doorway, wearing matching grins.

"Well, speaking of asses, look at you two, grinning like a couple of jack asses. What have y'all been up to today?" Edward says as he sits up in bed, but makes sure that I remain covered.

"Apparently not as much as you two because we've already been to eat, and confirmed our boat pick up time. Get up and let's go!" Carlisle barks out.

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LMWM—-LMWM

Songs- Slow Hands- Niall Horan

Selfish- Jordan Davis


	11. Chapter 10 Sugar

**Here's the next chapter, thanks so much for all the amazing reviews, i appreciate and read each one. Now, back to Edward and Bella...**

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**Chapter 10- Bella**

"_Boy, I've been cooking up one hell of a crush, I've got you on my mind the minute I wake up, You make my morning glow, Make the rooster crow, Get my juices flowing, You know I got the spice but it ain't enough, Baby would you be my sugar? Sugar?" Sugar- Maren Morris_

We have breakfast and wait by the pool since we can't pick up our boat until 1PM. The guys are swimming and playing some sort of modified basketball in the pool, I'm not stupid, I see all the tiny, toned, tanned bodies staring our men down. Eye fucking to the highest caliber is what they're doing, to be honest.

For a few minutes I'm self conscious and worried Edward will find one of them more attractive than me. All it takes is remembering the last few nights we've spent together to erase that from my mind. He's more than looks, he's heart and personality. As long as I remember that then I'll be fine.

"You two want another drink, I'm going to the bar." Rosalie offers. She's amazing, she's the calm to Emmett's excitement. They share their background, they understand the same jokes and references, they love the same foods, and they both love to laugh. Plus she spoke the golden word to Emmett, Fortnight. She fits in well with us girls too, she's all make-up and girlie but she has real interests in her brain. She's studying to get her Master's in Criminal Psychology.

"Yeah, bring us each one. Please." Esme offers for both of us.

Emmett splashes Rosalie's feet as she walks by.

Esme settles in and closes her eyes behind her Jackie O sunglasses while I people watch. I hear the commotion as a new group of women settle in the row of chairs behind us. The incessant superficial chatter has always worked my nerves but this is ten time worse because there is a hint of meanness to it, almost a bullying quality. I tuned them out until I noticed their focus has changed to a new target.

"Shit, Lauren, there he is, I told you he was sex on legs. Man what I'd give to wake up underneath him. Oh my God, he's going to climb out of the pool. I bet he has fucking abs for days." I turn to see Edward climbing out and realize he's the object of their current conversation. My heart sinks, I saw them walk in. There's four of them, all tall, toned, tanned, and a size 2.

"Oh yes, I saw him yesterday, he was with some big assed girl. There is no reason for that craziness when I got this to offer up for him." I heard a hand slap bare skin. The hand should have just connected with my own face. I was stunned stupid. My size is only a factor on two occasions. When I'm naked with a man, and when other women bring it up. They try to do it casually, act like I'm awesome for being brave enough to carry extra weight. When really they're saying you should lose weight and stop being stupid.

Edward looks over and waves. I hold my hand up and give him a half assed wave back. Doubt crosses his face and he immediately jumps out of the pool and walks towards me. I try to school my face so he won't see the hurt. I have on my black two piece bikini, there's no fat rolls, nothing is hanging out of my suit. I actually feel very comfortable, sexy even, in this bathing suit. I work on staying healthy, and a healthy size, but I wasn't always this lucky. For a few years after my dad died, I ate my feelings. I gained about forty pounds and had to work to get them back off. Now I allow my body to dictate, within reason, my size. And I'm happy with it, I've always felt bad for the stick thin women, they always look miserable.

"Lord help me, he's coming this way." I see her adjusting her cleavage in my Kindle screen. She's actually pulling more of her boobs out instead of making sure they're all covered. What kind of nerve does she have?

"Hey, Slugger, you okay?" He asks. I know without a doubt that if I say anything was wrong he'd try his best to correct it. I could tell him, but that would open up an insecurity that lots of girls have but are embarrassed to have. So I lie.

"I'm fine, just excited to go out on the boat." I reach up and push some of his floppy curls off his forehead. He catches my hand and kisses the inside of my wrist. I see the naughty in his eyes. I love how he's sweet, hometown boy one minute and naughty, sexy fiend the next. Part of me wants to pull him up off this lounger and walk all the way to my cabana so we can do the nasty. All the while laughing at the plastic "Lauren's" because they aren't me. Before I can do a thing, the talk begins again.

"Oh my God, Her, he's with her? Why would he waste all his sexiness on her?" This was from Plastic Lauren #2.

Humiliation washes over me. Edward leans in closer and kisses my mouth. It's a slow, sexy kiss, lots of tongue and moaning. His hands cradle my face, thumbs stretched out across my cheekbones, fingers cupping the back of my neck. I feel cherished, how can I not when he holds me like I'm a fragile flower in front of an audience and kisses me like it's his only form of oxygen. He ends the kiss by placing small kisses across my mouth. Then he stands and takes my hand. I feel myself being pulled upward so I follow.

"Come on, Kitten, I have to be back inside your glorious body, right now." He pulls me close so our chest are touching, close enough he can talk to me and I feel his lips whisper across mine as he speaks. "I can't get enough of you." His hand frames my face again. It's kind of aggressive and so not like Edward, especially not in front of people. After another scalding hot kiss, he turns my body and pushes me away. As I take my second step I feel a hand smack across the full part of my ass cheek. "I've always loved a full ass, just like this one. I have no use for a skin and bones woman, I want one I can really give it to and she can enjoy it. Not one I will break in half." Now I understand, he heard them talking and is putting them in their place, setting the story straight. He can have whomever he chooses and he chooses me.

I feel a hand grab my wrist and pull me back to him, chest to chest. Another kiss and his hand engulfs my breast. "These too." Both hands fondle them now. "God you are fucking perfect, you know that?" I can only giggle.

"Hey, haven't you two scromped enough this vacation? Cut it out and let's go get our boat!" I don't care what happens between Esme and Carlisle, I will owe him a debt for the rest of my life, just for butting into our conversation at exactly the right time with exactly the right words.

"Fine, let's go get our boat, woman." Another ass slap sends me on my way toward the boat dock. I glance over my should at the Plastic Lauren's and just wink. Wide gaping mouths and jealous eyes meet mine. Eat your hearts out, Ladies, he's all mine. For now anyway.

A few hours later, we're stretched out on the white sand. Emmett and Rosalie and Carlisle and Esme have wandered off to their own spot on the beach. I can hear them laughing and having a good time but they are no where in sight. Edward and I are in a hammock, my back is pressed to his chest. His hands wander along my skin. Neither of us have spoken for a while, we're just enjoying the sunshine and each other.

"You know what they said was utter bullshit, right?" I knew this conversation was going to happen eventually.

"Yeah, my head does, but my heart still gets hurt when I hear things like that." His hand tightens over mine.

"Bella, no. Listen, I work out, a lot, and I've seen healthy people of all sizes and shape. I've also seen unhealthy people of all sizes and shape. Nothing they said was true, they were using the one thing that would give them the upper hand. But I'll be honest with you, to me, they weren't even remotely pretty. I've never liked super skinny women, definitely not a super skinny woman who has such a nasty heart that she would say things like that. Okay?"

I don't respond verbally, just nod.

"I mean it, Bella, don't ever let anyone make you doubt yourself." He turns my head so he can look me in the eyes. "You are an amazing, caring, loyal, strong, beautiful woman. Don't let anyone make you believe otherwise. Promise me." He looks almost pissed off, I can see the conviction in his eyes.

"I promise." I repeat, and for a few seconds I do believe him. But for whatever reason, we women were born with that doubt gene deeply ingrained in us. I do appreciate that I mean enough to him for him to stand up for me in such a public way and then to reassure me afterwards.

We lapse back into our silence and watch the surf slip in and back away from our feet. Life was pretty much perfect right here in our hammock. I blink a few times to clear the moistures that gathers in my eyes. Why did I have to come to the far end of the Earth to find the perfect man?

After the boat was returned we agree to meet for dinner and dancing again in the small club where we met originally. Esme and I head back to our cabana to shower and change.

I chose my outfit carefully for our date night. I put on my make up, a dark smoky eye shadow with a dark lipstick that Edward seems to like on me. I curl my hair and pull it off to the side in a fishtail braid so access to my neck was available. Then I slide into my black lace bra and boy shorts. My black t-shirt dress was A-symmetrically cut and gathered up so it would accent my hips nicely.

Esme and I sit on the deck drinking our wine while we wait for Rosalie to join us so we can meet up with the guys. Several times Esme has turned my way, her wine glass paused halfway to her lips like she has something to say. "Say it, Esme." I might as well put us both out of our misery.

"You and Edward looked cozy today." She stops there.

"Yeah, he was extra sweet. He heard the Plastic Lauren's talking, so he made sure to remind me, all day, that he is happy with me and my size." Esme gasps.

"So that's why he got the PDA Fever by the pool. I can't lie, if he's aggressive like that in the bedroom, well, let's just say he wouldn't go home single." She holds her left hand up and does the infamous Single Ladies hand flip. I can't lie, I've thought about it, pulling a whole 'Ross and Rachel' and getting drunk married while we're in the Maldives.

"He's everything in bed. It's like he can read my mind and knows which Edward I need that night, and he's that. It's so damn sexy, but I'm worried." Esme's probably the only person I can admit this to. First because she's in the same situation, and secondly because I saw her watch Carlisle this afternoon, she's definitely feeling exactly what I'm feeling.

She sucks in a deep breath and slowly blows it out. She won't meet my eyes, I sit forward in my chair, prepared to soothe her frayed nerves if I need to.

"Yeah, I'm there too." Her voice is choked up a little. I grab her hand and hold it. Leave it to us to have to share everything. We're really a pair.

"Hey, let's not count our chicken's before they hatch. Maybe there's a way we can make this work. Let's cross that bridge when we get to it." She gasps a water chuckle.

"Look at you spouting all my Granny's best advice. You really do have it bad. Get a little Southern up in you and you can drawl with the best of them." I slap her arm but laugh all the same. I do find myself thinking more 'Southern' lately.

"Ladies, you ready to dance the night away?" Rosalie calls from inside the cabana.

Esme and I call back to her. "Oh, hell yes, let's do this." We stand and exchange a quick hug before we turn to find Rosalie. Together we can do anything, hopefully.

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LMWM—LMWM

Songs- Sugar- Maren Morris

Leave Me Wanting More- Chris Young


	12. Chapter 11 Already Ready

I'm so sorry, I only have one excuse, I now work an hour and a half from home. So by the time i get home, I'm exhausted. This should change soon, so I will be free to write and post regularly. Keep your fingers crossed for me! Until then...enjoy another chapter.

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Chapter 11- Already Ready-Edward

"Finally walk in, I'm already thinking about leaving, Gotta get you back in my shirt, Get you out of that dress, Get you put them shoes that you like so much, Everybody at the party is checking you your body, I don't even mind it cause you're coming with me girl, And I know it's only 7:32 looking at you, I'm already ready to go, I'm already ready, Are you you ready? Cause I'm ready to go." Already Ready- Dan + Shay

I watched as our Ladies walk into the club. All eyes are on them. Rosalie and Esme look pretty for sure, but Bella is stunning. Stunning when she's all made up with her hair braided and hanging loose, and make up impeccably done. Even more stunning when her face is clear of all traces of make up and her hair is pulled up in a messy ponytail.

I wonder if I've ever told her that?

I know that this whole experience has been different for us because of our circumstances but I've failed as a man. I've let Bella down, I haven't given her all the attention and praise she deserves. That ends tonight, I'm going to make sure she knows. My pace is quicker than Emmett or Carlisle's as I rush to Bella's side.

"Hi. You are stunning," My eyes drift down and back up her body. "Absolutely beautiful." Her appreciative grin is wide but still sheepish. I can see she likes being complimented, who doesn't, but has trouble believing the words about herself. And that reminds me, we are going to talk about the scene this afternoon at the pool with the other women. She needs to not be afraid and stand up for herself.

"Thanks, you don't look so bad yourself." For tonight I pick a dark gray suit with a burgundy shirt. I, unintentionally, match Bella's dress and lipstick. Speaking of her lips, I am dying to kiss her but I'm afraid that her dark lipstick will smear all over both of us if I'm not careful.

"It's a lip stain, it won't smear." She comments, her lip bit between her teeth, her eyes full of mischief.

"Oh yeah, you don't say? And who's to say that's what I was thinking?" I pull her close and slide my nose up the side of her neck. A light floral scent greets me, she has a way of smelling delicious but never overdoing it. She's not like my Great Aunt Mavis, you can smell her from five miles away. In fact, Bella's perfume makes you wonder if it's perfume at all or if her skin actually smells like flowers.

Her light giggle forces her neck to rub a little closer to my face. Maybe it wasn't her giggle, maybe it was her wanting to be closer to me, either way I win. "Your eyes said you were thinking it."

I'm in so much trouble with this woman, she has me figured out already, how am I ever going to get away with anything?

"My eyes are liars. That is not what I was thinking at all." I place a light kiss to the velvety skin just below her ear.

"Oh no." She purrs. "Then what, pray tell we're you thinking?"

"Hey, you two coming?" Emmett shouts at us. I glance up and realize that the other four have moved off toward our table while we stand here lost in each other. Bella gives a small huff but moves toward the group. I follow her willingly, she probably doesn't know it, but I would follow her anywhere.

If for no other reason than to be able to watch her walk. Her hips are the stuff dreams are made of, perfectly made so my hands fit at that sexy dip she has. Her dress is cut at an angle and gathered on the sides so it's all scrunched up and shows off her banging body. If I stare long enough I can see the outline of her panties. They're lace and cut right across the middle of her ass cheek. If I reached up under her dress I would find a good amount of bare skin to touch. I reach for her hand and halt her progress.

"Hey, let's go back to the cabana." I'm almost embarrassed that I asked her to leave when we haven't even had anything to eat, but I'm already ready. I'm ready to be alone with her, my bare skin touching her bare skin, not even for sex. Just to be close to her, discussing our future, pillow talk, I guess you'd call it. The conversation people have who are in love and have things to discuss with each other. The intimate details that you don't feel comfortable sharing with others who haven't made it into your inner circle. I wanna see into her soul, and let her into mine.

"Edward, we just got here, our friends are waiting." I can see Emmett standing in the aisle with his hands raised, asking 'what the hell?'.

"I know, I just want to be alone with you."

She slaps a hand against my suit jacket, her voice dripping with humor. "You are the worst, damn, you just got some earlier. Let's eat." She turns to walk off again, I halt her a second time.

"No, I mean I wouldn't turn it down if you offered it, but I just mean..." I don't quite know how to explain what I want and how I feel. Her eyes sober and she steps closer to me, almost directly against chest.

"What is it?" She really understands me better than almost everyone in my life. "Hey, sorry, I didn't mean to make fun." She apologizes.

"I know, I just don't know how to explain it. I feel this need to just be with you, alone, like our time is almost gone and I just panicked a little, I'm sorry." I can feel the heat on my cheeks, my hand nervously rubbing my neck. Did I say too much? Reveal too much?

"I know, I feel it too. It's okay, I get it." She glances back to where our friends disappeared to and back to me. "Let's eat and then we'll go back to the cabana. Okay?" Her soft hand caresses the side of my face, her thumb stroking the edge of my beard. I'm so gone for this woman.

"Okay." How can I deny her anything she asks? I can't.

We join our friends at the table. Looks like Esme has ordered a bottle of wine for us all to share. I pour a glass for Bella. I know she likes red wine. I sit back and watch her interact and enjoy her night.

The girls at the table are the life of the party. All three chatting and joking like they have known each other all their lives. Emmett joins in quite often, his personality has always been fun loving, but having Rosalie here it has just opened him up so much more. Carlisle, now there's a whole different story.

Carlisle always has held things close to his chest, never a stick in the mud but never the leader of shenanigans either. His focus always seems so intense that to some he can come across abruptly. For a small few he lets his guard down and enjoys himself. I think tonight is the most I have ever seen him relaxed. He has his arm thrown across the back of Esme's chair. He casually drinks his wine and watches her enjoy herself. He's relaxed with a smile on his face, and I'm happy he's found someone who is so obviously good for him. Esme has such a relaxed air about her that she counterbalances him and puts him at ease. Their small intimate touches and glances don't go unnoticed by any of the rest of us at the table. We are, however, all too busy with our own dinner partner to say much about them.

"Isn't that right, Ed?" Emmett asks. I glance around and realize I have completely zoned out.

"Sorry, say again?" Emmett laughs, he probably knew I had drifted off and used the opportunity. Bella's small knowing snicker proves my point.

"Wow, you were really out there. It's okay, I proved my point." His smile and Carlisle's hold a hint of mischief in them. Emmett I'd expect it from, not so much Carlisle. Again it just proves how relaxed he is in this moment.

I lift my wine glass. "I propose a toast to our beautiful dinner dates."

"Here, here." Carlisle echos. We all lift and touch glasses. I make sure I touch glasses with Bella last.

"Thank you, you have made this vacation so much more than I could ever hope for. I hope you're having fun as well." I plant a small kiss on her cheek.

"I am, so much so. I thought all the down time would drive me nuts but I haven't gotten bored once." She takes a sip of wine, I can tell she's taking an introspective look on this vacation. I can't tell if she's had a good enough time that she will want to try to see each other after we leave here or not. If she does, then I will need to tell her about baseball and all that it entails in my life. Her not knowing, not having the celebrity goggles on has been a breath of fresh air, I can't lie.

"Why did you think you would get bored?" I inquire. I can't get enough of her even if it's just an insight into how she thinks.

"Well, my job is so fast paced, always moving and shifting projects who have huge deadlines. I have been there so long and adjusted to that lifestyle that I assumed sitting and relaxing would drive me crazy. Other vacations have, a few days in and I'm ready to go back to work. But this time..." She pauses.

I lean in and tuck a stray hair behind her ear. "This time what? Tell me, Baby." Her breath hitches when I call her Baby. It felt natural, easy.

"This time I don't want to go home." Her eyes drift away, shyly, then comes right back to meet my gaze again. Almost like she had to get her nerve up to say the next phrase. "I'm having too much fun with you. This place is nice but it wouldn't be the same without you." God knows I have got to get her out of here, she needs to be in my arms ASAP. I settle for pulling her in for a scorching kiss.

"It's exactly the same way I feel about this too." This conversation feels too intimate to have in front of everyone at the table and in the restaurant. I want to take her out on a boat, just the two of us, drift and talk for hours. Is two weeks together too soon to be feeling this way? Is it just lust, relaxation vibes, or really a true feeling? I don't know for sure. All my other relationships have been slow and steady. Dating for several months, natural progression of things. But they were high school and college relationships. I haven't had a real adult relationship and certainly never with anyone who seems to know herself like Bella does. Is that what's making the difference? I'm an adult, she's an adult and we have realistic goals and dreams about this, instead of the crazy, drama fueled relationships of school.

"You guys ready to go and dance?" Rosalie asks. Carlisle is the first to respond.

"Hell yes, let's do it." He stands and takes Esme's hand.

We all stand and follow Rosalie as she shows us where we are going dancing.

In the back of my mind, I know I should examine how I feel about Bella in more detail. Maybe tonight as we lay in bed and hold each other because right now I want to go and dance my ass off with Bella in my arms, and nothing else.

LMWM—LMWM

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Songs- Already Ready- Dan + Shay


	13. Chapter 12 More Than I Know

Chapter 12- More Than I Know-Edward

**"You love like a wildfire, Light me up like live wire, But I can't get enough, You kiss like a hurricane, Off the tracks like a runaway train, But I think I'll try my luck, I roll the dice and play my hand, Oh, I might lose it, Girl, I like the way you're more than I know what to do with." More Than I Know- Jordan Davis**

Turns out dancing meant we were going to take dance lessons. I was already ready to drag Bella back to the cabana, but when I saw how her eyes lit up at the mention of dance lessons, well, I couldn't do anything other than take her out onto the floor and learn to dance with her.

At the club, I've dance a million times but I'm not sure I've ever had a lesson that is designed to teach me a specific dance. Anything that gives me a reason to hold Bella close and make her happy at the same time, I'm down.

Rosalie and the instructor know each other, so we are ushered in immediately and placed at the front of the class. "I'm going to suck at this. I can assure you of that." Bella puts her hand up to my lips to halt my words.

"No talking, only dancing, communicate with your body." Her tempting eyes challenge me, and I'm not one to back down from a challenge so I close my mouth and dance. I look around the room and meet the eyes of a few of the other couples, and for a half a second I'm tempted to be embarrassed, until I realize I won't ever see these people again so I hold my girl and follow the instructors directions on how to Salsa dance.

Forward on my left, pick up my right, plant my right, step back with my left, pause, step back with my right, pick up my left, plant my left, step forward with my right, pause.

We practice this for a few minutes, get the mechanics and learn to be fluid with it.

Emmett and Rosalie are over in the corner doing a full routine with turns and dips and so on. They probably learned to salsa dance before they could walk. I focus on Bella, her cheeks are flushed and her smile is so wide she looks like she's going to crack her face. So I keep dancing.

After we have mastered the basic steps we learn a turn, a cross body lead where I step sideways and turn Bella in front on my body, then we combine the cross body lead with full turn. By the time practice is over we are ready to full on dance. Evie has on a little burgundy dress with a ruffle down the right side so when she turns the ruffle flares. The rest of the dress hugs her curves so I can see all her minute movements with every step she makes. Then you combine that with her flushed cheeks, her parted lips, and her excited eyes. I'm almost ready to drag her ass out of this studio and take her against the nearest tree.

"Okay, ladies and gentlemen, you've learned a salsa step, now let's learn the Argentine Tango. This one is super sexy. Let's learn the basic steps then I will show you some sexy movements to add in extra spice. Step up and take your partner in your arms." I pull Bella close.

Our instructor calls out dance steps and we follow. I step backwards on my right foot, Bella steps forward on her left. Then we both step out to the side, my left, her right. Her hips gently sway when we do this step. Now she steps back and crosses her right foot behind her, and I step forward with my left foot right against her left leg. It's all about the closeness the instructor calls. Then we step in time together and cross her foot behind her again. Every single step is done in time and with a closeness that helps the sexy vibe of the dance.

We practice these steps and master them, then the Instructor shows us a turn and how to touch each other while we dance to add to the sexiness. Bella's hand is laid out across my chest then she gently glides across my pecs as she pulls away. I run my hand up the side of her rib cage and out the inside of her arm, making sure to rub across the side of her breast. My hand spread out across her hip as I gently nudge her to turn. The way I grasp her neck to lead her closer to me. When I take her hip again, make sure to slide my hand all the way up under her breast. My other hand caressing along her extended arm. Every chance we get I make eye contact, hold her gaze. Show her my power as a man while I lead her around the dance floor.

I listen as the instructor calls out all these steps, all the while watching Bella execute the move flawlessly, and falling more and more under spell. My hands on her, my mind entangled in her web, my skin dying to be in touch with her. I have to get the hell out of here with her. I have to.

"Last one, everybody needs to know how to slow dance with their partner. So I will teach you this one and send you on your way."

This dance boils down to wrap your arm around her and hold her close, and do a basic side step in time together. But as with all the other dances, the extra touches are what makes it not so basic. How close you hold her, if she can dance so that she is almost straddling your leg which will put a lot more of your bodies in contact with each other, the deep gazes, the soft caresses. This one, the instructor tells us, has no rules, just do what feels natural. So I do. I wrap both arms around her and she rests her arm on mine. I press her so close that I flatten her chest against mine. Her hands are free to hold me in anyway she wants. Our hips sway and we move in perfect rhythm together. Her soft smile looks like the picture of contentment, so I keep dancing. No words need to be said, we are together and that's enough.

Until she looks up at me through her eyelashes and whispers softly. "I want to get out of here." All I can do is nod, it's been torture to hold her close, knowing what she's worn under her sexy dress all night and not be able to touch her. I'm more than okay with leaving here. I glance around the room and realize Carlisle and Esme, and Emmett and Rosalie are both gone already.

We walk hand in hand back to her cabana, that seems to be the routine, Carlisle and Esme go to ours and Bella and I go to hers. I honestly don't care where we go as long as I can hold her more.

Bella leads me straight to her room. The patio doors are closed, so I open them both wide. The gentle breeze flows in and makes the gauzy curtains billow like waves on the ocean. The water sloshes against the pillars that hold the cabana out of the water, it's a gentle sound that relaxes the soul. I hear Bella slip her dress over her head so I turn back to her. Four feet separates us and I close that distance fast enough to stop her from removing her bra.

Now that I'm here with her, all I can picture for us for tonight is to be cuddled up in bed and talk. So I halt her removal of clothes because I know that her naked body will be too great of a distraction.

"Can I hold you for a while?" I whisper, it seems wrong to speak louder, like I will break the bubble that surrounds us if I use a normal volume.

"Sure." She pulls out of my arms and sits on the bed to remove her shoes. So I follow her lead and undress down to my underwear. I slip into bed and slide to the middle to wait for her. My eyes follow her as she deposits her jewelry onto the night stand table and as she pulls her hair out of the braid. Even her normal movements are fluid and sexy. She settles against me and pulls the thin blanket over us.

"Hey, tell me about the girls at the pool. What did they say?" I feel her flinch. It's probably not the right time to discuss this, and I know we've touched on this briefly already, but I don't want to forget and let it go. I want Bella confident in herself, and maybe I can help her feel that by assuring her that those mean spirited opinions don't matter.

"I should be used to that by now, but I'm not. It never fails to make me feel shitty." I wait for her to finish, to explain to me how she feels about this so I know how to approach her. "Have you ever had someone talk shit about you, regardless if the sentiment is real or not. Regardless if the words are a merely opinion of that person or a real fact, it still tends to cut you to the bone. Makes you remember the very first time you got picked on in elementary school. At least it does me." She shrugs her shoulder and I feel my chest hair brush against her skin.

"Yes, I do know, and I get it." She has no idea how on display and up for scrutiny I am on a daily basis. Everyone and their brother has a comment on how I played or batted in a game. Commentators, journalist, reporters, even the fans. So yeah I get how much it hurts when they say things that aren't nice. But Alice taught me how to let it all go. Have faith in the hard work and training I have worked long and hard to develop, and the nay sayers will fall away.

"But somehow you have to find a way to push that down and ignore them. It's hard, I know, but that's where your own emotional health kicks in and you are able to say, I'm good enough, or I'm pretty enough or my body is perfect as it is, whatever the case may be. Even on your best days, you're gonna screw up. Mistakes happen, we have to live with those, but your body is not a mistake. You are not built to be rail thin, I honestly don't care for that kind of body. I prefer to be able to hold you and feel softness against me. Not hard muscles and flatness, that's like laying in bed with a board. I don't want that. I want you, with all your luscious curves so don't ever let someone else make you feel bad about what you have. Because I choose to be with you and I choose your body, not theirs." I kiss her head and hope she believes me.

She turns in my arms and faces me. "You have this ability of saying what I need to hear exactly when I need it. Thank you!" She pushes up and kisses my lips. I give her two more small kisses back. She settles back into her original spot and we lay in silence for a few minutes.

"Tell me why you decided to go to work for a children's charity?"

"I saw how my brother and sisters would have fallen through the cracks after my dad died if it had not been for me. I saw the emotional and physical damages it caused to all of us when mom fell apart. Thankfully she got it back together quickly, but what if she hadn't? What if she was a drug addict and there was no money or food? I saw how much they needed, and knew that I wanted to find a way to make sure other children had the help that they needed." I'm sure this isn't the first or last time I'm going to think this but Bella is my hero. "I mentioned it to a school counselor who I was particularly close to, she had a friend who worked for the organization. She arranged for me to do some intern hours that summer, and I've never left. It turned into a paying job, and then into a full time career. It's so rewarding to know I've helped be a part in a family getting their shit together and living happily ever after, you know?" She shrugs casually like it's no big deal what she does.

"What about having your own kids? Do you want them?" This is a non negotiable factor for me, I definitely want kids. I love Tucker with all my heart and I can't even imagine how I will feel knowing that child is half me and half whomever I marry. To know our love made that child. This could make or break us here, if she says no then there won't be a reason to contact her once we've left the island.

Her deep inhale makes me nervous, I'm not sure I can school my reaction if she says no.

"Yes, eventually. I've only been on my own for about two years, that's only two years that I didn't have a clan to worry about, to shuttle back and forth to school or feed and bathe each night. I need time to live before I start that process all over again. But I do eventually want some kids." I breathe a sigh of relief, she has been perfect in so many other ways, and I'd hate for it come down to this factor. Kids. "What about you?"

"Yes, I love my nephew so much, I can't even imagine how I'll feel about my own kids, it's almost too much to study on. I don't have a set number I want, but I do want more than one, I know that. I can't imagine being an only child, that seems so lonely." Her hand instantly begins to rub up and down my arm in soothing circles. She's already such an instinctive mother figure, she's going to be amazing when she does have a child.

"Yeah, I don't want an only child either, I agree, too lonely."

"What about pets?" I ask, cause the other woman in my life is four legged and means the world to me.

"I have a cat, Noodles. He wandered up one day about four years ago, right after I moved out of my mom's house. Smelling like he had eaten out of the dumpster of the Noodle shop about three blocks away, hence the name, and never left. I like dogs too, but a cat seemed more practical with my schedule. They are so self sufficient so it seemed a good fit."

And so the conversation went, back and forth, questions and answers until we noticed the sun rising. We watched the sun chase the purple and orange streaks away, then our conversation ceased and our eyes fell closed.

* * *

LMWM—LMWM

Songs- More Than I Know- Jordan Davis

Despacito- Luis Fonzi & Daddy Yankee

Too Close-Alex Clare

Slow Dance- Kelly Clarkson

Heaven-Kane Brown


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